Valley Of Shadows
by Androclez
Summary: When an experiment with the Time Stones goes awry, the whole world is swept into a downward spiral. Who will survive this descent into darkness? -- There will be character deaths and injuries. -- COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

**Valley Of Shadows  
by Androclez**

Disclaimer: Sonic the Hedgehog and all related characters are the property of Sega/Sonic Team.

**Preface:**

This story picks up months after the Second Series of Sonic X ended, and the Metarex have been defeated. I have included elements of the Sonic video games into the storyline and some SatAM terminology is also used. See my profile for more details.

Without further ado...

* * *

**Chapter 1**

Robotropolis...

_Mist seeps through every corner of the cityscape on this stormy night. A meeting is being held in the central tower at the crux of the dark, mechanical city. A flash of lighting reveals the silhouette of a certain hedgehog and none other than Dr. Ivo Robotnik himself._

"I'm glad we could meet here like this tonight old friend," he began.  
"We have much to discuss."

"I was never your friend," the hedgehog replied.  
"And as far as I'm concerned there is very little to discuss between you and I. So give me one good reason not to tear this entire city apart, and make it fast."

"You wound me," said Robotnik.  
"Was it not I who preserved your life on more than one occasion as we faced mutual foes? You are, after all, my grandfather's greatest legacy... Shadow."

"Your grandfather… A bitter old madman who sought to wreck havoc on the entire globe..." Shadow scoffed.  
"It would seem the title of legacy is more fittingly bestowed upon you yourself Doctor," he muttered.

"Ho, ho, hooo!" Eggman bellowed.  
"Very clever Shadow my boy! But I believe we have more affinity in that vein than you concede."

"What are you implying? That I am as hateful and destructive as you?" Shadow demanded.

"I recall your being fond of a certain cousin of mine." Ivo continued.  
"And you hated the world that would snuff out one of such noble and pure benevolence. Is not such a world deserving of punishment and subjugation?"

"What I recall is that you used my feelings about what happened to Maria to further your own ambitions," Shadow retorted.  
"And you preserved my life to the end of synthesizing a robot army based on my design. We're nothing alike! And I will not allow you to turn my grief into bloodlust in the pursuit of your mad schemes! I've moved beyond that now."

"You misjudge my intentions," Robotnik insisted.  
"I call on you today not seeking aid of revenge, but rather offering an opportunity for restitution."

"All I can do is live in a way that will honor Maria's memory," said Shadow.  
"Nothing in this world will ever bring her back."

"Ah! But I offer you a treasure not of this world," Robotnik exclaimed as he rose and walked toward a tarp in the back of the room.  
"Behold!" he proclaimed as he withdrew the tarp, revealing a radiant set of gemstones.  
"I present to you, the Timestones of Little Planet."

"Can these stones truly control time?" asked Shadow, skeptically.

"Indeed!" replied Robotnik.  
"Normally their use is limited to their land of origin — the so-called Little Planet. But theoretically you might be able to harness their power using your Chaos Control technique."

"This seems rather far fetched," said Shadow.  
"Even if I were able to channel such a power, I would still have no prior experience in wielding it. How could it be controlled to access a specific date and time?"

"I have prepared for this eventuality as well," said Robotnik.  
"I constructed a time machine which can tune temporal waves in exactly the manner which you describe — to a specific date and time of our choosing. Does this final security measure quell your doubts as to the feasibility of my proposition?"

"I trust more in my own strength than that of any machine," said Shadow, haughtily.

"Then why the skeptical inquiries?" asked Robotnik.

"In truth, I would try anything that might possibly undo the harm vested upon Maria, no matter how unlikely its chances of success might be," Shadow admitted.  
"I only inquired of you to this extent in order to judge how serious you were about this whole plan."

"You are a shrewd one, I see," observed Robotnik.  
"So then, do we have a deal?"

"Very well, I accept your terms," said Shadow.  
"But I have one last question."

"And what might that be?" asked Robotnik.

"What is your aim in all this?" asked Shadow.  
"I trust you are not motivated by charity, simply to reunite Maria and I."

"She was my cousin after all," said Robotnik.

"Spare me your duplicitous sentiment," said Shadow.  
"I know something deeper motivates you."

"Right you are, Shadow old boy," Robotnik admitted.  
"I suppose it is the ambition of all truly great scientist to test the bounds of human ingenuity."

"So you want to manipulate the flow of time and space just to see if you _can_," Shadow restated.

"And to pay retribution to those who would dare lift hand in thwarting a Robotnik's endeavors," said Robotnik, with a snarl.

"So you _are_ motivated by revenge," said Shadow.  
"You cannot stand the idea of your grandfather's absolute and utter defeat. It motivates you even now, and likely has for all these years."

"And even if that's so, what of it?!" demanded Robotnik.

"It matters not to me," said Shadow.  
"But I warn you that the tyranny of those motivated by selfish gain is short-lived. And I will not abide anything that would cause Maria unhappiness."

"Just meet me at the east end of Never Lake tomorrow morning as agreed, and I will have my time machine ready," said Robotnik, with a twinge of resentment in his voice.

"You bring your time machine," said Shadow, dismissively.  
"And I shall bring my memories of Maria and the strength of my will, which should prove more than sufficient in bridging this temporal gap between our souls."

_With that, Shadow flew off, leaving Robotnik behind somewhat miffed._

"Why that impudent, presumptuous little pincushion!" Robotnik fumed.  
"Although the spiny rodent may be right to some extent," he sighed in resignation.

"But that is irrelevant now, for I seek neither the vindication of my grandfather Gerald nor the deliverance of my cousin Maria," thought Robotnik.

"The weak have fallen but I ―the greatest in my family line― shall reign supreme! I am not burdened with the weight of their failures, nor am I beholden to liberate them from it. My goal remains to reshape the world as _**I**_ see fit. And with the very power of time on my side, none shall oppose me."

* * *

To Be Continued.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: (Contains a Sonic X spoiler, for those of you who haven't seen it yet)**

**Chapter 2**

_It was a bright sunny day in the Mystic Ruins. Tails exited his workshop with a watering pot and a satchel of plant food. He headed over to his garden out back and tended to the special tree he had been growing for several months._

_The plant had grown quite a bit in these past few months, and Tails himself had certainly become more plump than in former times, on account of the many sweets and fattening goodies he'd been receiving from Vanilla the Rabbit and his other friends. Tails had relied heavily on comfort food to get him through the grief of losing his special friend, Cosmo, after their battle with the Metarex concluded._

ZOOM!

_Somewhat alarmed by the now familiar noise of the sound barrier being broken, Tails peered off into the distance and spotted Sonic zooming across the hillside terrain at top speeds._

"I wonder what Sonic is in such a hurry for?" Tails pondered.

_He thought for a moment about what he just said._

"Ha! What am I thinking?" he chuckled to himself.  
"Sonic is always in a hurry like that. He's probably just going over to visit Never Lake. You can see the Little Planet clearly at this time of year."

_An idea occurred to Tails._

"Hmm, I might go take a look myself later today. It's been a while since I've been away from the old homestead. Amy is always telling me I need to get out more."

Meanwhile, at Never Lake:

_The Little Planet loomed in the sky as Robotnik personally stationed his time machine at the foot of the lake. His messenger robot Bokkun was standing watch, as were his bumbling assistants Decoe and Becoe. But Robotnik didn't trust the handling of his precious device to them this time. The Time Stones were all lined up in a row and Shadow stood before them._

"All the preparations are in order," said Robotnik.  
"The time is now, Shadow... let it begin!"

_Shadow nodded in reply. He turned to face the Little Planet, closed his eyes in meditation, and uttered the words:_

"Chaos Control!"

_The Time Stones began to shimmer as Shadow channeled the temporal energy of Little Planet through them. The energy waves were filtered through Robotnik's time machine as he focused them on a specific date and time._

_Suddenly, Sonic stormed onto the scene, knocking the robot guards over like bowling pins before they could sound any alarm!_

"Ah!" the mechanical trio yelped, as they fell over.

_Sonic quickly assessed the situation._

"As I suspected, Eggman is out to use the Time Stones to reshape history according to his twisted image," thought Sonic.  
"Only this time he's trying to inflict his corruption on Mobius itself, instead of just Little Planet. And he's using Shadow's help to do it."

_Having determined that Eggman was up to no good, Sonic turned to address Shadow._

"Don't do it Shadow! Eggman is only using you!"

_Shadow looked up at Sonic in anger._

"I warn you Sonic, do not interfere! There's no stopping this!"

"You don't have the right to distort the timeline like this!" said Sonic.  
"I won't allow it!"

"You're too late!" Shadow replied.  
"It has begun."

"I've gotta do something..." thought Sonic.

_Sonic unveiled a Chaos Emerald he was carrying with him._

"Chaos Control!" he shouted.

"No!!!" yelled Shadow.  
"I won't let anyone stand in my way! This _**shall**_ come to pass!"

_There was a deafening thud as the two opposing forces clashed and a gigantic shockwave whooshed throughout the entire region. Sonic and Shadow were enveloped into a brilliant flash of light, and when it faded they were both gone._

_As for the Time Stones themselves, they levitated towards the sky and began to dematerialize into thin air._

_Shadow was transported decades into the past, back to the time and place just before Maria's death on the Space Colony ARK. He quickly spotted that familiar face of the girl he had grown to love all those years ago._

"Maria!" Shadow exclaimed with joy.  
"I can change it! Now is my chance!" he declared excitedly.

_He braced himself to spring into action, but soon found that some invisible force pulled on him from behind, impeding his motion._

"Uurrgh! What is this?! What's happening?"

BOOM!  
_The door was kicked open._

_**RAT-tat-TAT!  
**__The GUN agents stormed into the room and opened fire on the helpless girl._

"Maria, no!!!" Shadow screamed in horror.

_After witnessing this horror, he was then irresistibly sucked backwards to the corner of the room, as if by a vacuum. He was engulfed through a stream of light, but when he emerged on the other end he was right back where he started — Space Colony ARK approximately 30 seconds before Maria's death._

"I'm back again!" Shadow observed.  
"But I still can't move forward! I'm being pulled back to..."

BOOM!  
_The GUN troops burst into the room again, executing Maria exactly as before._

_**RAT-tat-TAT!**_

"No! This can't be happening!" Shadow roared as he was sucked back through the time loop, only to repeat the process over and over again.

_He kept struggling to break free but the cycle continued on, exactly the same for hundreds of times._

Meanwhile, back in the "Present".

_A few moments after the dust cleared from Sonic and Shadow's confrontation, Robotnik emerged from under a huge rock formation he had taken shelter behind. He observed that his time machine was broken to pieces and Sonic and Shadow were both gone._

"Drat!" Robotnik spat bitterly.  
"That blasted Sonic has ruined my plans once again. At least he's gone now, hopefully for good. But Shadow......"

_Robotnik paused midsentence as he heard a strange noise from above._

"Hm?"

_He looked to the sky as suddenly, a tear in the fabric of time briefly opened and Shadow fell out. He hit the ground nearly unconscious and slowly staggered to his feet._

"Shadow!" Robotnik called out as he ran toward the dazed hedgehog.

"Ma- Maria..." Shadow gasped weakly.

"Shadow, what happened? Did you see her?" Robotnik inquired.

"Maria..." Shadow repeated with a tremble in his voice.

_The image of Maria's murder continued to replay itself over and over again in his mind._

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHRRRRRRRGGGHH!!!!!!!!!!"  
_Shadow just screamed at the top of his lungs for some time until he finally passed out._

"Shadow! Shadow!" Robotnik exclaimed as he checked the dark hedgehog for vital signs.

_Robotnik motioned to an Eggmobile vehicle he had on standby to come pick both of them up._

Meanwhile:

_Amy, Cream, Cheese, Vanilla and Vector were all en route for a visit with Tails. The concerned foursome anxiously quickened their pace after hearing the shockwave sweep through the land minutes ago._

"I'm scared Mommy," Cream remarked.  
"What if the forest is under attack? What'll we do? What's happening?" she asked.

"I'm not sure," Vanilla replied.  
"Maybe Tails will know."

"Of course, of course!" Vector confidently assured.  
"Tails is always on top of these things, with his technological knowhow. Right?"

"Hmph! I'll bet he's the one responsible for this whole mess," Amy huffed.  
"Probably one of his kooky inventions blew up or something like that."

"Look! There he is in the garden," exclaimed Cream.

_They all ran near to Tails and found him weeping over a broken, uprooted sapling._

"Tails, what's the matter with you?" Amy asked in bewilderment.

_Tails just continued to weep with his head held down._

"What's wrong honey?" Vanilla warmly inquired as she wrapped an arm around his shoulder.

_Tails looked up at her and uttered one word._

"Cosmo......" he softly whimpered through sobs.

"Oh dear, it must be the tree he planted... for her," Vanilla explained.

"That's right," Cream reflected.  
"Didn't he say there was a seed that time when..."

"Oh no," Amy cried.  
"It must be like losing her all over again for him."

"Poor guy," Vector sighed.

_Even Cheese uttered a sympathetic coo._

To Be Continued...


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Later, at Robotnik's base:

_Robotnik had settled the mentally and physically exhausted Shadow in the recovery ward and now stood over his bedside._

"It would seem things didn't go as I had planned after all," Robotnik thought out loud. "But at least that meddlesome Sonic has not resurfaced as of yet."

_He looked down at the motionless, black hedgehog lying before him._

"Only time will tell the extent and nature of the damage Shadow has sustained," he considered. "I will have to observe him closely in the coming days. There's no telling what type of nightmare he has lived through, or for how long."

_Just as Robotnik turned to walk away, Shadow's arm shot up and clasped ahold of his shirt sleeve!_

"Wha-?!" Robotnik exclaimed.  
"Shadow!"

"I saw it..." Shadow whispered.

"What did you see?" asked Robotnik.

"I saw what happened to her over and over, for I don't know how long," Shadow explained.  
"I was powerless to prevent it. There was an invisible force which held me back and made me relive it repeatedly; every detail forever burned into my mind."

"Sounds like a time loop," said Robotnik.  
"Sonic's interference must have distorted the time traveling process, resulting in this bizarre, temporal anomaly."

"Where is he?" demanded Shadow.  
"He must pay for what he's done. They shall all suffer my wrath, starting with him."

"He vanished and has yet to return," said Robotnik.  
"Calm yourself and just rest for now."

_Robotnik returned to his own chambers._

"At this rate Shadow may prove too unstable an ally to assist me in any further pursuits. It may be best that I study his condition for awhile in the interest of science, and then terminate him if he gets out of control," he concluded.

_Just then, Robotnik detected some motion in the shadowy corner of the ceiling. He sensed another presence in the room!_

"Yes, I suppose I ought to gather my research materials right away," Robotnik said out loud as he casually inched toward the drawer which held his laser rifle.

_Quickly, he drew his weapon and immediately fired in the dark corner of the room!_

Zap!  
ZAP!!  
**ZAP!!!**

"Yeow!" a feminine voice cried as the intruder fell to the ground, revealing herself to be none other than Rouge the Bat: notorious jewel thief.

_The blast had grazed her enough to be stunned, but her pink chest plate absorbed most of the damage so she was largely unharmed._

"Come to paw around for my treasure once again, eh?" asked Robotnik, knowingly.

"I might've heard something about you taking in a hefty haul of gemstones recently," said Rouge, as she rose from the floor.  
"I thought maybe I'd drop by and see for myself."

"So you infiltrated my security systems and snuck into my inner chamber merely to gaze upon the beauty of the famous Time Stones, is that right?" Robotnik asked, incredulously.

_He kept the gun trained on Rouge as he distractedly eyed her damaged breastplate, which now hung aslant over her chest, revealing cleavage._

"There's no harm in looking," she coyly replied.

"Wha-...What?!" Robotnik nervously exclaimed.

"I said there's no harm in just looking... at the gems that is. Is there?" she smirked.

"Bah! I could lose half my empire if I tolerated sticky fingered "onlookers" like you," Robotnik said as he focused on aiming the gun at her.  
"Perhaps I should dispose of you now," he threatened.

"Hold on there big boy," said Rouge.  
"Maybe there's something you'd like to see too?"

"Wh- What nonsense are you blabbering on about now?" Robotnik stammered.

_Surprisingly, Rouge suddenly removed her top!_

"HOO-CHEE COOCHIE MAMA!!!" Robotnik excitedly exclaimed, as he haphazardly dropped his weapon to the floor.

_Rouge turned and prepared to fly away in escape while Robotnik was gaping in a state of shock, but she looked back and observed him hyperventilating and clasping his chest._

"What the heck???" Rouge exclaimed, confusedly.

_Her own shock and curiosity proved too great and she flew over to Robotnik to see what was up with him._

"Seems I don't know my own strength," she mused.

_Robotnik's eyes just bugged out._

"Hey, you're really out of it," said Rouge as she grabbed hold of Robotnik; and incidentally she was all up on him now.

"OH BABY!" Robotnik wheezed as he collapsed.

Meanwhile, several rooms over in the recovery ward...

_Shadow awakened once again._

"Where am I?" he asked, rhetorically.

_He rose from his bed and stumbled out into the hallway. Getting his bearings, he observed the dark, metallic walls of the structure._

"That's right, I was in the Doctor's fortress," Shadow recalled.

_Just then, he spotted Decoe and Bocoe._

"You two!" he called out to the robot stooges.

"Huh?"  
_They turned to face the grumpy hedgehog._

"Take me to Dr. Robotnik!" he demanded.

"Eh?"  
_The robot goons looked at each other dumfoundedly._

"Now!!!" Shadow growled.

"Yikes!" they yelped, as they scurried in the direction of Robotnik's chambers.

Meanwhile, in said chambers:

_Rouge stood over Robotnik as he lay sprawled about on the floor._

"I think he's... dead!" declared Rouge.  
"Sheesh! I guess looks really can kill."

_At that moment Shadow, Decoe, and Bocoe entered the room. They all noticed that she was still topless._

"What the-?!" Shadow exclaimed in shock.

"Hm?!" Rouge sharply gasped as she remembered the state she was in.

_Surveying the entire scene, Shadow and the bots could see that Robotnik was laid out motionlessly before a half naked Rouge who was rushing to redress herself. They came to their own conclusion._

"I don't believe it!" said Decoe.  
"Rouge _freaked_ Robotnik..."

"...to death!" Bocoe chimed in.

"Humph!" Rouge grunted indignantly as she speedily flew off, clutching her chest plate to herself.

"Nonsense! She merely startled the old fool," said Shadow.  
"However, he does in fact appear to be quite dead," he admitted.

_Shadow walked and stood over Robotnik's corpse._

"Curse you for abandoning me at a time like this!" he screamed.

While all this was going on in Robotropolis...  
Meanwhile, Tails and company were regrouping and planning their next move:

_The whole gang had all assembled in Tails' house and were gathered around discussing what had just happened and what they ought to do next in response. Tails was somewhat detached from the whole affair as he was just sitting on a little stool in the corner, dejectedly hanging his head down._

"What I want to know is, what caused that earthquake and the big gust of wind from before?" asked Amy.

_All eyes turned to Tails._

"I don't know..." said Tails, blankly.

"I'll bet Eggman had something to do with it!" said Vector.  
"Any sign of robot activity in the area lately?"

_Everyone looked to Tails once again._

"I don't know." Tails said, more firmly this time.

"What're we supposed to do now?" asked Cream.

_Tails grew incensed at their constant questioning, yet they continued..._

"And most importantly, where is Sonic?" asked Amy.  
"C'mon Tails! We need your assistance at a time like this. You must know something!"

"Dammit! I said I don't know!" screamed Tails. "Do I have to do everything around here?!"

_The room became silent and everyone stared at Tails._

"I'm sorry," said Tails.  
"This is just a difficult time for me right now."

"OK, we get it. You're sad about losing your girlfriend's tree-essence thingy," said Amy.  
"But why not get off your two-tailed butt and do something about it instead of moping around like a little wimp?! This is no time to sit idly by the wayside while your friends need you! If you're upset, then do something about it!"

_Tails was somewhat taken aback by her vigorous call to action. Vanilla saw the need to inject some tactful diplomacy into the discussion._

"What Amy means is that we can only imagine the hurting you're going through right now, and we know it must be very hard on you. But any help you can offer us would be greatly appreciated since you are the most capable among us," said Vanilla.  
"If there's anything you saw or heard that could maybe point us in the right direction..."

"Now that you mention it, I did see Sonic racing off in the direction of Never Lake," Tails recalled.  
"I'm pretty sure the cataclysm which caused the shockwave originated from that region."

"He could be hurt!" cried Amy.  
"We've got to go search that area!"

_Amy bolted for the exit door but Tails stopped her._

"Wait! I have a vehicle you can take to make the trip faster," said Tails.

"I want to go with Amy," said Cream.

"It could still be dangerous over there," said Vanilla.  
"Maybe you'd better stay here for now."

"I can go give Amy some backup while you guys hold down the fort here," said Vector.

"But I want to help my friends!" Cream squealed.

"Actually Cream, I was hoping you could stay and help me out here, if that's okay," said Tails.

"Anything you need!" said Cram.

"Good. I need you to stay in contact with Amy and Vector over the com system while I scan the area on my radar," said Tails.

"I'm on it!" said Cream.

_Vanilla smiled at Tails and nodded gratefully._

_And so the search began for any trace of Sonic or evidence regarding his apparent disappearance and the source of the great shockwave. Amy and Vector quickly arrived on the scene of the incident, each in their own "stormrover" land vehicle as Tails called the heavy duty motorbikes. Amy and Vector each had their own communicator, which Cream was patched in to. Cream was relaying their messages to Tails, while he worked his computer scanners._

"There's nothing out here but a bunch of dust!" said Amy.  
"Are you sure Tails knows what he's talking about when he says Sonic was out this way?"

"Just please keep looking," said Cream.  
"He's scanning the area for extra clues right now."

"I haven't detected any robots remaining in the area, but I am picking up lots of temporal distortion waves," said Tails.  
"Of course that could just be because of the Little Planet being out at this time of year."

"We don't need theories and shot-in-the-dark guesses!" shouted Amy, loud enough for Tails to hear.  
"What we need is facts and hard evidence!"

"That's what _**you guys**_ are out in the field looking for in the first place," Tails murmured to himself as a sweat drop appeared on his forehead.

"What was that?!" Amy yelled over the speaker.

"Uh, nevermind," said Tails.  
"Um, Cream... could you turn the volume down on Amy's communicator and let's just hear Vector for awhile?" he chuckled nervously.

_Cream obliged Tails' request and the search continued._

"There's a big crater at the east end of the lake!" said Vector.  
"Something definitely went down here."

"My scans are detecting a Chaos Emerald in the area too," said Tails.

"Tails says there should be a Chaos Emerald," said Cream.  
"Do you see it anywhere?"

"Aha! Amy just uncovered an emerald underneath a bit of rubble," said Vector.  
"But there's no Sonic."

"They found the emerald, but Sonic is nowhere around," Cream sadly reported.

"Do you happen to see any other giant gemstones out there?" asked Tails.  
"Like maybe a Time Stone? Amy should know what one looks like."

_Cream relayed the message._

"Nope, everything else is prettymuch a wasteland out here," said Vector.

"No, they say it's just a wasteland," said Cream.

"I see..." said Tails.

_The search continued for some time longer, but nothing more turned up. Eventually the search-party returned to Tails' homebase, emptyhanded aside from the one emerald. Amy was distraught over Sonic's complete disappearance._

"We couldn't find him!" cried Amy.  
"What'll we do now?"

"All we can do now is wait, watch, and hope for the best," said Tails.

To Be Continued.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

In Robotropolis:

_Shadow poured over the vast repository of files and records in Robotnik's libraries, frenziedly searching for some type of answers. He read day and night, researching a wide variety of subjects, including the Time Stones, Little Planet, the Chaos Emeralds, and Robotropolis itself. He even read files on all of Robotnik's adversaries and allies. He devoted a large amount of time to the information on the robotic clones Robotnik had made of Shadow himself. Finally his search concluded..._

"He's been locked up in that room for days," said Bocoe.  
"What do you think he's doing?"

"Maybe he's gone mad in there," said Decoe.  
"Madder than before, if that were possible."

_Suddenly the door to the file room opened and Shadow came out._

"Ahh!" Decoe and Bocoe shouted as the clung together in fear.

_But Shadow never even looked at either one of them. He just kept marching straight down the hall, directly to the central command station room. He settled down into what had been Robotnik's chair in the center of the room._

_Bokkun fluttered over to Shadow, as he sat in the throne-like chair._

"That's the Doctor's chair!" squealed Bokun.

"It is mine now," said Shadow, flatly.  
"This entire city and all who reside here now belong to me."

"Not everyone!" Bokun screeched.  
"I only served the Doctor, not you!"

"Who you serve is of no concern to me, peon." Shadow scoffed.  
"Now begins the campaign of retribution against this wicked world. All shall fall under the dominion of Robotropolis or perish."

_He looked down on Bokkun, condescendingly._

"For the outworking of this grand scheme... weaklings such as you are not needed."

"What?!" Bokkun snapped. "Why you..."

"Begone from my presence," Shadow ordered as he casually shot a Chaos Bolt in Bokkun's direction.

"Yeow!" cried Bokkun, as he barely dodged the attack and fell on his behind.

_Bokkun stomped towards the door. He growled under his breath while in the exitway and turned back around, shaking his fist. But he soon caught Shadow's gaze staring back at him and thought better of it._

_Bokkun drifted away pouting._

"Stupid Shadow with his stupid chaos powers," Bokkun mumbled to himself, on his way out of the city.

Later...

_Bokkun was miles away from Robotropolis. He had now entered into the forest region, still murmuring to himself against the city's new administration._

"I was with the Doctor long before he showed up," Bokkun griped.  
"He thinks he can just take over everything and...... huh?"

_Bokkun paused mid-sentence as he spotted a familiar "foe" off in the distance. Cream was outside taking clothes down from a clothesline. Bokkun quietly inched closer to get a better look at his secret crush._

_Just as Cream happened to be taking a pair of her panties down from the line, she suddenly caught the yearning gaze of the pint-sized robot, now just a few yards away._

"EEK!!!" she screeched sharply, as she jumped back in a panic.

"Wha?" muttered Bokkun, as he awoke from his daydreams.

"Mommy! Mommy!" Cream cried, as she ran back to her house.

"No, wait!" yelled Bokkun, as he chased after her.

_Bokkun began throwing little bombs in Cream's path, in an effort to slow her down._

BOOM! POP! POW!

"Ack!" Cream yelped, as she hastily dodged each miniature explosion.

"Don't be scared, I just want to talk!" said Bokkun.

"I don't want to hear any of _your_ messages!" said Cream, as she drifted several feet off the ground and flew to her front door.

_Cream ran up to her mom and started frantically tugging on her skirt._

"Mommy, Mommy! Mr. Robotnik's bad little messenger robot is after me!"

"Oh my!" Vanilla exclaimed, as she looked outside to see Bokkun puffing up to the front door.

_Bokkun and Vanilla just stared at one another curiously for a few seconds._

"And what shall we do with you then, little messenger robot?" Vanilla asked rhetorically.

"I... I just..." Bokkun stammered, in distress.

"Can I help you with something," asked Vanilla.  
"What seems to be the matter?"

_Suddenly Bokkun just burst into tears._

"Waaahh!" he cried.  
"Everything's gone wrong in Robotropolis and I had to run away from home!"

"There, there. Don't cry," Vanilla consoled him.  
"Slow down and tell us what happened from the beginning."

_Bokkun proceeded to relate the tale of Robotnik and Shadow's failed scheme and the aftermath._

"...and then the mean bat lady hurt Dr. Robotnik, and now he's gone and Shadow took over!" Bokkun whimpered.

"This does seem serious," said Vanilla.  
"We'd better inform Tails about all this, right away."

"What about the messenger robot, Bokkun?" asked Cream.

"Please don't send me away!" Bokkun pleaded.  
"I can't go back to Robotropolis!"

"Well, he doesn't have a home now so I suppose we could take him in for a while," said Vanilla.  
"_**If**_ he promises to be good."

"Oh yes, yes, yes!" Bokkun agreed.  
"Thank you!"

_Vanilla promptly relayed the news to Tails, and a meeting was called to discuss this latest information. Vector, Vanilla, Bokkun, Cream (and Cheese too) were now assembled at Tails' place and Amy was en route._

"So it happened just as you described?" Tails asked Bokkun.

"I was in the hallway outside of the room the Doctor was in, and I heard a commotion. When I went in, I saw for myself..." explained Bokkun.

"So Eggman really is gone then," said Tails.  
"Er, I mean Dr. Robotnik," he corrected himself.  
"I suspected something was awry in Robotropolis but it's still a shock to hear the whole truth of it. I'm sorry for your loss, Messenger Robo."

SLAM!  
_At that moment, the door flew open and Amy burst through looking distraught._

"Is it true?!" she demanded, imploringly.  
"Is what the little robot says true?!"

"It seems so," said Tails.  
"Robotnik is no more, and it looks as if Shadow intends to take his place as –"

"I don't care about Eggman!" Amy interrupted.  
"I want to know about Sonic. Is it true he was blown away in some giant explosion?"

"Well it looked that way from the beginning, and his story only seems to back up our fears," said Tails.

"It can't be!" cried Amy.

"We still don't know for sure if Sonic has really perished or if he may have been lost in some far flung time warp," said Tails.

"Is there _any_ hope?!" Amy pleaded.

"There's _always_ hope," offered Vanilla.

"Hmm..." Tails pondered out loud.  
"Shadow made it through the cataclysm, so it's possible that Sonic did too. On the other hand, Shadow has a greater knowledge of Chaos Control, and it sounds like even he went through hell just to survive it. This is all merely conjecture of course, but I'll admit that the odds of us ever finding Sonic again are slim at best, especially without the Times Stones."

"Oh Sonic!" Amy whimpered, as she ran into the next room.

"Amy!" Cream cried.

"Perhaps she just needs some time alone," said Tails.  
"It's hitting us all pretty hard, but especially her. Best leave her be for now."

"So what happens now?" asked Vector.

"We need to prepare ourselves for a possible offensive strike from Robotropolis," said Tails.  
"Shadow isn't himself these days, and there's no telling what he might do under these circumstances."

"He wasn't exactly warm and cuddly in the first place," said Vector.

"His behavior will likely become particularly erratic due to severe post-traumatic," explained Tails.

"Is there anything I should do?" asked Vector.

"I'd like you to contact Knuckles and the others on Angel Island," said Tails.

"It's best if they know what's afoot here on the mainland in case whatever happens reaches as far as them. Hopefully they can provide us with backup."

"I'm on it!" said Vector.

"Oh, and Vector..." Tails began, as he reached for a videophone on his desk.  
"Take this with you. Let us know when you reach Knuckles."

"Will do!" said Vector, as he scurried out the door.

"I'll need to gather some supplies so we can fortify this place's defenses," announced Tails.

"Perhaps you should check in on Amy," suggested Vanilla.  
"I don't think she took what you said earlier in the right way, and maybe some words of encouragement coming from you might do her good."

"All right, I suppose. I needed to pick up a few things from that room anyway," said Tails as he walked into the next room where Amy was sulking.

"Huh? Amy?," said Tails.

_He was surprised to see Amy drowning her sorrows in one of Vector's stashes of liquor he'd brought with him on his visit. Amy started to choke and cough, and she looked kind of sick._

"Amy, what're you doing?!" Tails yelled as he ran to snatch the bottle away from her.

"I'm sorry Tails... I just need something to help me get through this," Amy explained.

"Turning to the bottle isn't the answer!" said Tails.  
"The Amy I know is a strong, independent woman who isn't afraid to face anything. You're better than this!"

"But it's so hard knowing I'll never see him again," said Amy.

"Nothing is definite yet, and we still don't know exactly what happened at Never Lake," said Tails.  
"You need to be strong for Sonic while we all wait to be reunited with him. He could turn up any day now, and if he does you want him to be proud of your efforts during his absence."

"I know... you're right Tails," Amy admitted.  
"I don't need this anymore, she said, as she grabbed the bottle and flung it in the trash bin."

"Good, that's the spirit!" said Tails.

"I never was much of a drinker anyway," Amy chuckled.

_Tails gave a cheerful smirk and nodded approvingly. They all continued on about their work._

To Be Continued.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: (nonessential) **I find that the more vividly you can envision the characters in a story, the more enjoyable the story becomes. Maybe that's one of the things that makes fanfiction so much fun, because you're already familiar with the cast of characters. However, there are many different incarnations of the Sonic characters. I've always been a fan of Christopher Evan Welch's voice acting for the character of Tails on AOSTH. I recommend that you think of his rendition of Tails when you read Tails' lines in this story. Corey Bringas was also great in the English dub of Sonic Adventure. In fact I generally prefer the Sonic Adventure voices for all the rest of the cast too, although I do like all the various Sonic Universe voice actors. I appreciate the work they do.

* * *

**Chapter 5**

A couple of days Later...

With the help of his friends, Tails had securely renovated his base from the damage incurred during the shockwave. He has drawn up plans to further fortify the structure, but for the time being he is content to rest from his hard labors. At the moment, he lies sprawled out on his bed napping in the middle of the day. His tongue is hanging out of his mouth and his pot belly rises and falls as he sleeps soundly.

_Suddenly, the scene of tranquility is interrupted by a loud rumbling as the whole house begins to shake!  
__A light fixture above the bed rattled loose from the ceiling and banged Tails right on the noggin._

CLANK!!!

"Ah!" Tails howled as he fell from his bed and hit the floor.

_The house continued to shake._

"What's going on in here?!" Tails shouted, to no one in particular.

_Tails looked across the room at his radar which displayed several large blips._

"I'ma get to the bottom of this mess!" Tails huffed, as he trotted over to his command center.

_He performed a quick scan on the surrounding area and found monstrously huge bulldozers with bladed fronts, sweeping through the area and pulverizing the terrain, only about a mile away from his home._

"Aw, hell no!" Tails growled upon seeing his home turf desecrated.  
"This is some bullsh-"

BEEP!

_Tails' computer started beeping, indicating an incoming message._

BEEP!

_After it buzzed again, Tails got his bearings and then went ahead and patched it through.  
__An image of Vector appeared on his picture-in-picture. He maximized the image of Vector, but kept an eye on the mechanical destruction of the local forest in the corner of the screen._

"Vector! What's up?" asked Tails, still scowling because of his current predicament.

"Hey Tails old pal, what's with the scowl?" asked Vector.  
"I finally found that elusive echidna friend of ours."

"Sorry Vector, we've got a bit of a situation here on the home front," said Tails.  
"I'm sure glad to hear from you guys. Put Knuckles on."

_Vector turned the videophone towards Knuckles who was sitting with his legs crisscrossed, in an almost meditative pose._

"Greetings Tails," began Knuckles.  
"What can I do for you?"

"Knuckles! has Vector filled you in on what's happened around here?" asked Tails.

"Yes, I am sorry to hear of Sonic's passing," said Knuckles.  
"He was a worthy rival and a capable ally. He died honorably I'm sure, with the best of intentions in defense of his friends. He shall be missed."

"Thank you," said Tails.  
"He must have also told you about the situation regarding Shadow. I feared he might make a hasty move on the offensive, given his compromised mental state, and my fears have proven justified as he just began mowing down parts of the forest near my home, moments ago," Tails explained.

"I am not surprised," said Knuckles.  
"In fact, Shadow contacted me even before Vector arrived and told me of his plans."

"Say what?!" Vector exclaimed.

"So you knew," remarked Tails.  
"Good! Then you know how important it is that we stop him. He poses a danger to himself and others. He's not well, physically or mentally. So we must bring him down, peacefully if possible."

"I'm not so sure about that," said Knuckles.

"I realize that you generally prefer agressive methods Knuckles, but at this rate it may be more practical to try and talk Shadow down, before attempting a full scale counterattack," said Tails.  
"It's merely a cursory diagnosis on my part, but based on the recent trauma he has reportedly endured, I truly believe he is mentally ill, and that he is acting out as a result."

"You misunderstand," said Knuckles.  
"Shadow informed me of his intention to expand the borders of Robotropolis globally in an effort to harness the city's resources for the cause of good."

"You mean to tell me you're taking his side in this matter?!" asked Tails.  
"After I just told you the man was half out his mind?!"

"Dr. Robotnik is no more," said Knuckles.  
"A new Robotropolis will be born. Perhaps Shadow may succeed where the doctor failed."

"That's exactly what I'm afraid of!" yelled Tails.  
"When will you fully understand that Eggman was **not** your friend?! I'll admit that even I admired some of his scientific advancements, but I was never deluded into thinking he aspired toward doing good!"

"Robotnik was overcome with grief and bitterness over the injustices vested upon his family, and he allowed it to consume him," said Knuckles.  
"He even resorted to manipulating time and space in the attempt of correcting this matter, and died as a result."

"Whoa, um... that ain't exactly how it happened," said Vector.

"I don't believe this!" said Tails.  
"Shadow spoon-fed you this load of manure, and you ate it up!"

"I don't know just what to believe anymore," admitted Knuckles.  
"But Shadow has always been a fairly straight shooter if nothing else. He was upfront with me and I have no reason to doubt him."

"Haven't you been listening to a word I said?!" demanded Tails.  
"This is not the same, ordinary Shadow you've come to know. There's no telling how he was warped by that temporal cataclysm."

"Another unfortunate result of Sonic's rash decision to interfere in the process, perhaps." said Knuckles.

"Oh _**no he didn't**_ just say that!" exclaimed Tails.

"I'm sure that Sonic meant well, but he was never one to think things through before acting," said Knuckles.

_Tails rolled his eyes at the irony of hearing these words come from Knuckles of all people, but he held his tongue regarding the issue._

"Besides, Shadow appeared clearheaded when I spoke to him," Knuckles continued.  
"I believe he has learned from his and Robotnik's mistakes and seeks to correct them."

"Don't you at least care about the damage he's doing to the natural environment?" asked Tails.  
"In the process of extending Robotropolis, he practically tore up my whole neighborhood over here."

"His actions pose no threat to the Angel Island district or the Master Emerald, so I have no reason to take any action against him," said Knuckles.

"So that's the deal, eh?" Tails scoffed.  
"He stays out of your hair so you stay out of his. You'll just do nothing while the entire planet is converted into a giant, mechanical factory?!"

"Shadow only intends to construct Outposts of Justice in select locations throughout the world," explained Knuckles.  
"Each Justice Tower will serve as the administrative center for upholding the law in its respective city. A magistrate will be appointed at each outpost to help maintain order in that region."

"Who are these magistrates?!" demanded Tails.

_At that moment the screen fuzzed up and distorted until an image of Shadow himself appeared onscreen._

"That would be me," said Shadow.

"Shadow!" Tails gasped.  
"You overrode my broadcast signals... Is this how you plan to act as administer of justice to every region of the world? Through some kind of global surveillance technology?"

"Not quite," said Shadow.  
"Not only will I be capable of seeing everything that goes on from my command center in Robotropolis, but I will also be in the unique position of actually **being** everywhere at once."

_The image on Tails' screen panned out to reveal a room full of Shadow clones surrounding Shadow._

"Good lord!" Tails exclaimed.

_Tails just sat there gaping at the sight of the vast clone army. He was shocked and horrified that Shadow would take such drastic measures. It was at that moment when Tails realized the monster Shadow had become._

"You really _**must**_ be destroyed..." Tails muttered under his breath, mostly to himself.

To Be Continued...

* * *

Hello Readers! If anybody is interested in this story, I'd like to hear from you. It's always great to get reviews or even just a "favorite" or whatever. It's good to know that there really is someone still reading the fic so I'll know to keep writing. I hope you enjoy some aspect of the story but criticism is okay too. Send any questions or comments you may have too.

Anyway, thanks for reading!  
-Androclez


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

_Vector hurriedly packed his bags for his return trip to mainland Mobius. His associates Espio and Charmy stood by as he filled them in on all the details._

"_...and that's why I'm heading back to make sure Vanilla and the others are okay," said Vector._

"What does Knuckles have to say about all this?" asked Espio.

"He doesn't care as long as the Master Emerald is not in jeopardy," said Vector.  
"And he's quite satisfied with the surveillance equipment Shadow gave him as a bonus. He's got a security system for the Master Emerald and everything."

"Yeah, it's been busted to pieces enough times already," joked Charmy.  
"I guess it's about time he did something about that."

"I wouldn't be surprised if there's some kind of booby trapped fail-safe in that security system to grant Shadow access to the emerald," said Vector.

"I don't know, maybe it's a good thing for Shadow to take a more active role in defending the mainland," said Espio.  
"With Sonic gone they really don't have a hero anymore. What if Shadow just wants to fill his shoes as a form of atonement?"

"I just can't trust it yet," said Vector.  
"Something doesn't feel right, so I've got to see for myself."

"I understand why you must go," said Espio.  
"In turn, hopefully you'll understand why I'll be passing on this little excursion of yours."

"After all, we only have the word of that jealous, hotheaded little robot to go on," said Charmy.

"Besides, this pro bono publico stuff would put us in the poorhouse eventually," said Espio.  
"I'm sure you of all people can appreciate that."

"That's okay guys, it's cool," laughed Vector.

"Godspeed Vector," said Espio.

"We'll see you when you get back," said Charmy.

_With that, Vector set off in search of his friends. He arrived at Tails' place early the next day. Tails was frantically at work on his computer station and didn't even notice when Vector came in._

"Um... Tails?" said Vector.

"Ah Vector, glad you could make it," said Tails, not taking his eyes off his work.

"Tails, you look kinda worn out man," said Vector.

"I guess I pulled an all-nighter," said Tails.  
"Just trying to get a hold on this situation."

"Maybe you should get some rest," said Vector.

"Can't," said Tails.  
"Shadow's on the move and things could get a lot nastier real soon. He's already struck in this neck of the woods, and I didn't get the worst of it out here."

"I dunno Tails, Shadow hit the local forest pretty hard just a few miles from here, with all this crazy construction he's doing," said Vector.  
"Are you telling me things are even worse in other regions?"

"All he built in my area was a storehouse/powerstation," Tails explained.  
"He's already completed a couple of full fledged "Justice Towers" in other distant locales. The damage was much worse in those areas, and according to my data, the major construction hardware is headed in the direction of Cream and Amy's areas next. We've gotta go warn them."

"I see your point," said Vector.

"We'll have to take one of the stormrovers if we want to get this done in a timely fashion," said Tails.

"Okay, but I'm driving," said Vector.

"Fair enough," said Tails.  
"Thanks."

_They quickly rushed to Vanilla's house to warn them of the pending threat. Tails hopped off the bike as soon as they arrived and ran to the door, rapping on it loudly with his fist._

"What is it Tails?" Vanilla asked as she opened the door.

"There's not much time to explain, but we've got to evacuate this area!" said Tails.

"The little guy's right," said Vector.  
"I've seen the damage near Tails' place and from what he's detected on his scanners, something even worse is headed your way."

"Of course, I'll get Cream and Cheese at once!" said Vanilla.

_Soon they were all crammed into the sidecar of the stormrover and they rode off to warn Amy. They quickly arrived at her house and saw her skipping around outside, looking quite carefree._

"I'll go get Amy so we can get the heck out of here!" Tails said as he ran from the bike.

_Tails rushed up to Amy as she was sitting around, swinging her legs back and forth and playing with the gold bangles around her wrists._

"Amy! Thank goodness you're okay," Tails called out.

"Better than okay!" replied Amy.  
"Everything is everything, y'know?" she sighed contentedly.

"Amy, there's an emergency!" said Tails.

"What're you so stressed about?" Amy chirped inquisitively.

"I hate to tell you this, but something terrible is approaching!" said Tails.  
"It all happened so quickly. Things have gone terribly wrong!"

"Terribly wrong? What're you talking about? Things have never been more **right**!" said Amy.

"You've got to listen to me Amy," said Tails.  
"Shadow has constructed a clone army and –."

"You know, I didn't think I could find true meaning in my life after Sonic was gone," Amy interrupted.  
"It was like a part of me had died, but now I see that I don't need to define my existence in relation to Sonic, and I'm at peace," she rattled on.

"Good for you Amy," said Tails.  
"But right now there's a serious matter that is more pertinent to the situation at hand!"

"I don't like to see you upset, Tails," said Amy, as she gave him a hug.  
"You always work yourself so hard for others but don't take enough time for yourself."

"That really isn't the issue here!" said Tails.

"Your fur is like, totally orange!" Amy exclaimed, as she put her hand to Tails' face.  
"Isn't it pretty up against my bangle?" she asked, commenting on the contrasting colors.

"What's the matter with you Amy? Aren't you listening?" Tails asked.

"You're funny Tails," she replied.  
"I've always liked you but I always took you for granted. You're such a fox you know."

"Very funny," said Tails, in a deadpan tone.  
"Now lets get the heck up out of here before the robot army comes!"

"You're right! Let's go!" said Amy.  
"I feel like I could go anywhere in this wide, wide, wonderful world!" Amy sang as she twirled around rapidly with her arms spread out, looking up to the sky.

"You're acting crazy Amy!" Tails cried.

_Suddenly Amy collapsed to ground as the others came rushing up to see what was the matter._

"Amy!" cried Cream.

"What's wrong?!" asked Vanilla.

_Tails knelt to the ground and felt her forehead._

"She's burning up!" he exclaimed.  
"Quick, let's get her inside!"

_Tails and Vector each grabbed an end and gently carried Amy to her bed. As they settled her onto the mattress, a bottle of pills slipped out of her pocket._

"What's this?" asked Cream, as she picked up the bottle.

"Probably a clue to Amy's condition," said Tails, as held out his hand.

_Cream handed him the bottle._

"Is the kid jacked up on some kinda pills?" asked Vector, referring to Amy's symptoms.

"We'll find out," said Tails.

_Tails chipped off a small piece of one of the pills and dropped it onto a shallow, white plate. Then he took out a container of liquid and poured a few drops onto the sliver of pill. The liquid changed color to a very deep, dark purple..._

"Good grief... This is methylenedioxymethamphetamine!" declared Tails.

"Huh?" asked Cream and Vanilla at once.

"That's Ecstasy!" Vector explained, enthusiastically.

_Everyone else turned to stare at Vector with surprised expressions, including Tails._

"What?" asked Vector, feeling put on the spot.

"Er, well... ahem!" Tails stammered as he realized he was gaping.

"Oh dear," said Vanilla, as her eyes shifted around the room awkwardly and she fumbled with her hands.

"Hey, I'm a detective! You gotta know stuff!" said Vector, defensively.

"Cream, sweetie, why don't you go into the other room and keep a lookout through the window?" Vanilla suggested.

"Okay mom," said Cream.

_She picked up Cheese and headed to the window. Bokkun followed closely behind._

"Great! The world as we know it is teetering on the brink, and this fool-girl has got herself hyped up on mind-altering drugs!" said Tails.

"Probably the handiwork of Fang, a local dealer in this region," said Vector.

"Well this _is_ a shock," said Vanilla.

"Get some towels and cold water," Tails instructed.  
"Maybe if we can revive her real quick we'll be able to get outta here in time."

_Vanilla and Vector rushed to get the items while Tails just knelt by Amy's bedside and shook his head down in disappointment._

Meanwhile at the window in the next room...

"I wonder what is Ecstasy, and why does Mr. Vector know so much about it?" asked Cream.

"Beats me," replied Bokkun, as he twiddled his thumbs. _(Although he probably really did know.)_

"Everyone seems really tense," said Cream.  
"I wonder what's going to happen to us?"

"Fear not!" said Bokkun.  
"I will fight against the evil empire of Shadow and do everything in my power to protect you, Miss Cream."

"You're a good robot after all," said Cream, as she patted Bokkun's head, smiling warmly at him.

_Suddenly Bokkun became alarmed and jolted up with a start._

"Whoa! Bogeys on the horizon!" he yelled.

_Cream stood on her tiptoes and peered out the window with hand on forehead._

"Oh no!" she cried as she spotted the machines looming over the hillside.

"We'd better alert the others!" said Bokkun.

"No time! The steamrollers are headed right for that Chao Garden!" said Cream.

_She flew out the window in pursuit._

"Cream, wait!" said Bokkun, as he followed after her.

_Cheese panicked, looking back and forth from the window to Amy's room. He wanted to go with Cream but thought better of it and decided to go ahead and warn the others. Cheese fluttered into the next room and started frantically chirping at the rest of the gang._

"What's up with Cheese?" asked Vector.

"Something's wrong!" said Vanilla.

_That's when they all felt the earth tremors._

"Oh no! They're back!" said Tails.

_They all rushed into the next room to check on Cream, but they were met by combat droids instead._

"They all-up in the house!" Tails exclaimed.

_SKREE!_** — BOOM!  
**_**The bots fired laser blasts at them but they all dodged just in time. The house was being blown apart though.**_

"Darn! I left my artillery on the bike!" said Tails!  
"We've gotta take this fight outside! Vector, get Amy to safety!"

"What about Cream?! Where's my baby?!" cried Vanilla, as she looked towards the window.

ZAP! ZAP!  
**POW!  
**_**They all narrowly escaped the laser cannon fire once again.  
Tails picked up a wooden beam and started swinging it at the robots, trying to lure them into chasing him outside.**_

_Cheese ran through the hole in the wall where the window used to be and squeaked at Vanilla to get her attention._

"Cream!" said Vanilla, as she dashed to followed Cheese.

_Vector looked back in concern as Vanilla went off on her own._

"Vanilla!" he cried, reaching out in her direction.

ZAP!  
_A laser blast grazed him when he tried to go after Vanilla._

"Argh!" he grunted.

_Vector realized he had to secure Amy before he could do anything else. He carried on._

_Meanwhile Tails had drawn the fire of most of the robots. The husky hound ran to his motorbike as fast as his tired little legs could carry him. He quickly returned their fire with a rapid succession of his own homemade bombs._

"Eat this, badniks!" he yelled.

KAPOW! BOOM! **BOOM!  
**_**The attack droids were blown to bits, but more followed behind them.**_

Skr-skreeeee! SKREE! BOOM!  
_Tails ducked behind his bike for cover but the rain of laser blasts proved overwhelming._

**KABLOOM!  
POW!**

"Ack!" Tails yelped.

_Tails' bike blew up right in his face as he was ducked behind it. The force of the explosion knocked him back into a tree. The tree then collapsed and fell on top of him! __**CRASH!**_

_Tails was defeated..._

_Meanwhile, Vector had hidden Amy away in a relatively safe place and he ran towards the field Cream and Vanilla had gone into. Way off in the distance, Cream was in the Chao Garden standing up to one of the bulldozers. Bokkun had already been intercepted by enemy robots, so she was alone. "Shadow" was standing on top of the bulldozer and Cream was waving her arms frantically, pleading with him._

"Please Mr. Shadow! I know you're upset, but please don't hurt the Chao!" she cried.

_Cream was standing right in the path of the bulldozer but it showed no signs of halting or slowing down. Shadow showed no emotion and she froze out of fear._

"Oh no!" she cried.

"Cream's in trouble!" said Vector, running towards the tragic scene. But he knew he would be too late.

_The bladed bulldozer was just a couple of feet away from Cream. At that moment, Vanilla leapt at her daughter and pushed her out of the way with all her might._

"Umph!" Cream grunted, as she safely landed in the dirt several yards away.

_Vanilla wasn't so fortunate..._

BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!  
TROMP!  
SLASH!  
TROMP!

"Vanillaaaaaaaa!!!!!!" Vector screamed in horror.

"Mommy! No!!!" Cream wailed.

_The chao all managed to scatter out of the way just in time. The dozer plodded along on its course and Shadow looked on indifferently from the helm, without regard for the tragedy he had wrought upon the surface of the ground below._

"**CURSE YOU SHADOW!!!!!!!!!!**" Vector roared furiously.

To Be Continued...


	7. Chapter 7

Once again, I would like to thank all the readers of this story. It's good to know this fic is still being hit-up at a fairly decent rate. Thanks!  
There are more exciting storyline developments to come. Keep reading! ;)

Now on to the next chapter:

* * *

**Chapter 7**

_When the mechanical army concluded their march of destruction throughout the land, Vector and Cream gathered all their injured together; Tails, Bokkun, and even Amy. They were able to get Bokkun back online fairly easily. Amy was the next to awake._

"Where am I? What happened to me?" she mumbled groggily.

"What happened to _**you**_?" Vector scoffed, bitterly.  
"_**You**_ took Ecstasy like an irresponsible jerk and passed out from fever. _**You**_ are the whole reason the rest of us got caught up into this mess!"

"I don't understand," said Amy.  
"What's going on?"

"Shadow's forces swept through the area and destroyed everything," said Vector.  
"We were here to help _you_ escape and got the brunt of it in the process."

"Omigod! Are you guys okay?" asked Amy.

"Mommy's gone..." Cream sniffled.

"Oh no! I'm so sorry," said Amy.

"C'mon, let's get Tails back to his place," said Vector.  
"It's probably the closest thing to a safe haven these days."

_Vector looked at Amy, trying to restrain his anger and contempt from being unfairly focused on her._

"Can you walk?" he asked.

"I think so," Amy replied, tearing up.

_It was a long, hard road to Tails' fort. The gang all pushed ahead with heavy hearts on a journey full of sorrow. Finally they arrived at their destination and put Tails to bed. Amy got some more water and nestled into a corner somewhere. Before long, Tails awoke._

"We made it," Tails weakly muttered from his bed.  
"What's our status?"

"Vanilla didn't make it," said Vector, blankly.

"I'm sorry," said Tails.

"Everyone else is here," said Vector.

"Shadow must pay for this madness!" said Tails.

_Tails tried to sit up but found great difficulty in doing so._

"I can't move!" Tails cried.  
"I can't move my legs at all!"

"Good god Tails," said Vector, sympathetically.  
"It must have happened when that tree hit your back during the attack."

"I'll need your help to take some X-rays to determine the extent of the injury and whether or not it's permanent," said Tails.  
"Please, right away!"

"Of course," said Vector.  
"Amy, give me a hand!"

_Amy reluctantly approached and helped carry Tails over to the X-ray device. They ran the scans according to Tails' instructions. Tails took a moment to examine all the scans._

"Looks like the spinal cord isn't severed, so that's good," said Tails.

"What's causing it then?" asked Vector.

"I seem to be under partial paralysis due to an injury to a nerve center in my lower back," Tails concluded.  
"It's the same unique cluster of nerves which normally enables me to fly," he explained.

"What's the prognosis?" asked Vector.

"Is it permanent?" asked Amy.

"It's too early to tell for sure," said Tails.  
"I'll worry about that later... but for now we should work together on monitoring Shadow's further activities and building a defense."

"Worry about it later?!" Amy echoed in disbelief.  
"Tails, this must be so hard for you, and yet you worry about others. This is all too much!"

"We have to put the welfare of the many ahead of our own concerns," said Tails.  
"That is the meaning of service, and of being a true hero. The most important thing I learned from Sonic."

"Sonic..." Amy muttered, solemnly.

"So what can we do, Tails?" asked Vector, with a sigh of resignation.

"It may be wise to go underground this time," said Tails.  
"We may wind up being the last line of defense for the planet so I'll need everyone's help on this. Each of us has to be fully committed."

"I don't know if I can do this you guys," said Amy.

"You're abandoning us now? Tails is crippled for godssake!" screamed Vector.  
"He's cripple and Vanilla is dead! And it's partially because of you!"

_Cream started crying again at hearing this._

"I just can't deal with this right now. I'm so sorry!" Amy cried as she ran out of the building.

"Aw forget her," said Vector.  
"Let her go if she wants."

"You're right," said Tails.  
"We'll need all the help we can get, but she's no good to us till she sorts herself out."

Later...

_Amy took a long walk, talking to herself all the while._

"It's all gone wrong," she said to herself.  
"It's like a bad dream and I wish it'd just go away."

_She continued wandering along until she reach the abode of the one person she felt could grant her wish for escape from her troubles. She stopped when she reach her destination, in front of a "weasel den"._

"Nack! Oh Nack, you've got to help me!" she cried.

_A rather odd looking, disheveled, wolflike fellow came up from the den._

"Nack! I need you!" said Amy.

"You crazy girl?! Don't be saying my name!" he said.

"I'm sorry, but I need your help," said Amy, more quietly.

_Nack cautiously squinted his eyes around each corner and then beckoned Amy inside the den. They went inside together._

"I dunno 'bout you, but I'm gettin' the heck outta here!" said Nack.  
"Things are crazy around these parts nowadays."

"I need some of what you gave me before," said Amy.

"I ain't got no more of that," said Nack.

"Come on Nacky, I know you got something for me!" Amy pleaded.  
"Just gimme something — anything! I just... I really _**need**_ to get happy," she sobbed.

"Sheesh! Take it easy," said Nack.  
"You do look a mess, for sure. I might have a little more of that medicine after all."

_He opened up a black case and slid some pills out of it into a little bottle. He then held the bottle out to Amy, but withdrew his hand before she could take it._

"Ah, ah, ah," he chided.  
"Come now Miss Rose, I know you got something for me too."

"All right," Amy whimpered, as she pushed her body up against Nack and started stroking his chest fur.

"Whoa, whoa! Hey! Ease up off me, skank!" he protested.

_Nack pushed Amy away from himself and shoved her onto a nearby couch._

"Ah!" Amy shrieked as she harshly landed on the raggedy, dirty old couch.

_She stuck her leg on something, but looked down to see it was only a loose metal spring sticking up out of the couch._

"What's wrong?" Amy gasped through tears.

"I take my payments in _**money**_, honey." Nack explained.  
"Besides, what makes you think I want you sobbin' n' slobbin' all over me? Your nasty sorrow is liable to bring me down."

"Oh come on Nack-daddy, I don't have any money on me right now," she said, trying to warm up to him.  
"Isn't there anything else I can do?" she asked, suggestively, (although it came off more as desperate and pathetic).

"Gimme them gold rings around your arms," Nack demanded.

_Amy slid her gold bracelets off her arms and handed them over to Nack. Nack snatched them away and then tossed the bottle of pills down. Amy greedily leapt at the bottle and grabbed it up before it even hit the floor. She feverishly twisted the cap off and started downing pills._

"Enjoy your visit with Doctor D," Nack sneered at her, as she knelt on the floor.

_But Amy was already in her own little world. Her breathing calmed, she closed her eyes and knelt back, waiting for the high. After awhile she just started to get nauseated. She got up and staggered out of the den but her vision started to blur. Her heart started pounding and she became overwhelmed with anxiety._

"This isn't how it was supposed to be," Amy gasped frantically.  
"What a fool I've been..."

_Amy woozily stumbled her way home to Tails' place. When she got inside she didn't see anyone at first. She made her way to the restroom and threw up. That's when Cream heard her and came running._

"Amy, you're sick?!" Cream asked, in concern.

_Vector came to see what was going on._

"What in the– ?!" Vector began.

"I need help," Amy mumbled in slurred speech.  
"I'm havin' a bad trip..."

"How could you Amy?!" screamed Vector.  
"You ungrateful little-!"

_Suddenly Tails rolled up in the wheelchair with a sad, disappointed expression._

"After all the sacrifices that have been made for you, you go and do this?!" said Vector.

"What's happened?" asked Cream.  
"What made Amy sick?"

"She did it to herself," said Vector.  
"She's got no one else to blame."

_Vector put his arm around Cream and lead her away from the scene._

"Come on Cream, you don't need to see this," he said.

"_**Why**_, Amy?" was all Tails had to say.

_Tails just shook his head and rolled away._

_Amy continued to whimper and sob to herself as she hunched in the corner of the bathroom._

_The rest of the gang decided to not let this unpleasantness slow them down. Vector continued gathering materials and fortifying the base according to Tails' instructions. Tails was actually working on a side project with Cream and Bokkun. He had one of his machines construct a computerized peripheral device to mount on his wheelchair to help him operate various gadgets around the house. Cream and Bokkun helped gather materials for the new invention. They all worked quite productively like that for several hours._

"Okay good," said Tails.  
"Now Bokkun, please help me into the new chair so I can give her a test run."

_Bokkun prepared to lift Tails._

"Oh by the way Cream, could you go check on Amy?" Tails requested.  
"She should be much better now and could use some encouragement."

"Okay," Cream agreed.

_Cream trotted along to the bathroom and opened the door. She was met with a unexpected sight._

"Aaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!" Cream screamed to the top of her lungs.

_Amy was lying at the doorway in a pool of her own blood, with her hand extended out. Everyone else came running to see what was the matter._

"Oh my god! What happened here?!" yelled Vector.

"Bokkun, take Cream away from here!" said Tails.

_Bokkun complied._

_Vector and Tails examined the scene. Vector started by checking Amy's pulse._

"She's dead..." Vector announced.

_He turned the body over and examined more closely._

"It looks like she bled out from a wound to her thigh," said Tails.  
"Probably punctured the femoral artery."

"Think it was foul play? Suicide?" asked Vector.

"There's no telling," said Tails.  
"It's unlikely Amy would have known the precise location to stab herself for this maximum bleeding with minimum force."

"There's no sign of forced entry and I certainly didn't see anyone come in," said Vector.

"It might have been an injury she gained accidentally while under the influence, but didn't realize the severity of it till it was too late," Tails suggested.

"She could've been fatally wounded when she first got here," said Vector, with an eerie sense of disbelief.

"Come to think of it, there was a stain on her skirt to begin with," said Tails.  
"Whatever happened was likely worsened by her strenuous activities on her way here and while she was retching and vomiting."

"It looked like she realized what was going on towards the end, but was too weak or strung out to call for help," said Vector.  
"What a sad, tortured soul..."

"We'd better get this place cleaned up," Tails sighed.

_A quiet funeral was held for Amy the next day and she was buried on the grounds where Tails' tree had been._

"The poor thing never got over the loss of Sonic," said Vector.  
"She started down a path of despair that snowballed into this tragedy."

"In some ways we're the same, she and I," said Tails.

"How do you mean?" asked Vector.

"If I hadn't been so preoccupied with grief over losing Cosmo's plant, I never would've allowed the current world-crisis to progress to this point," Tails sighed.  
"Now I'm in this chair, and there's nothing I can do."

"That's not true Tails!" said Vector.  
"There's plenty you can still do. There's plenty _**I**_ can do, to help you. We'll stop this fiend together."

"I hope you're right Vector," said Tails.

_After they laid Amy to rest, the others bravely pressed forward from this tragedy. In the following days they prepared themselves for survival against Shadow's continuing onslaught._

To Be Continued.

* * *

A rather dark chapter, I know. But then, this story is a "tragedy".  
It seems a rather vain and unavailing request at this point, but please review. :-7


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

_Over the next few weeks, Tails and company had sufficiently fortified an underground shelter for themselves. Shadow was on such a rampage that they were afraid to show their faces on the surface for any extended period of time anymore. Tails continued to not only monitor Shadow's activities, but also to spy out his potential weaknesses. Vector stopped by Tails' research room to confer with him..._

"What's the word Tails?" asked Vector.

"I've deployed my remote controlled reconnaissance robot to gather more information on Shadow's operation," said Tails.  
"It looks like his security is pretty tight, but I'm confident that I'll fish out all the gaps in it eventually."

"There was something I wanted to discuss with you," said Vector.

"What's on your mind?" asked Tails.

"It's just that we've been hiding out for a long time," said Vector.  
"When are we going to start taking decisive action?"

"There isn't much we can do against Shadow's forces without first gathering information," said Tails.  
"We won't win this battle with might. It has to be with ingenuity."

"I know, but it's hard to just stand by and wait to see what'll happen to us," said Vector.  
"We started from a defensive standpoint in the beginning, and look where it got us!"

"I want us to be fully prepared to strike when the time is right," said Tails.

"But won't Shadow's dominion only become more firmly affixed the longer we wait, giving him a stronger edge?" asked Vector.

"Not necessarily," said Tails.  
"Shadow's activities have not gone unnoticed by government authorities. According to my sources, they're planning to strike against him very soon, and many GUN troops have already been positioned on the outskirts of Shadow's area of influence."

"So we let them do the fighting for us?" asked Vector.  
"What's our role in this?"

"Probably the best thing we can do is find a way to feed GUN tactical information, warning them of Shadow's movements," said Tails.  
"Most of Shadow's army has already been placed in key areas outside the city in preparation for the conclusive showdown."

"Are you telling me Robotropolis is basically unguarded right now?" asked Vector.

"It is true that Shadow seems to be focused on defending his strongholds and construction areas outside of the city," Tails admitted.

"This is the perfect time for _us_ to strike!" said Vector.

"With what?" asked Tails.

"I know you're loaded with all kinds of artillery in this place," said Vector.  
"I'll get strapped for battle and raid Shadow's city like a one man army, while GUN acts as a distraction!"

"It would be wiser for us to act as support for the GUN troops at this time, and wait to see how their attack pans out first, before we resort to such drastic measures," said Tails.

"I can't leave it up to someone else," said Vector.  
"I've got to take this matter into my own hands."

"But why such insistence on acting now?" asked Tails.  
"Why are you so eager to become personally involved?"

"Because he murdered Vanilla!" screamed Vector.  
"He murdered her without regard or remorse and then looked down on our grief like a smug jackass! So yeah, _**it's personal!**_"

"We've all lost a lot to this monster Shadow has become," said Tails.  
"I don't blame you for your feelings of rage, but is there any way I can talk you out of this reckless course?"

"No, this is something I have to do," said vector.

"Perhaps you're right," said Tails.  
"This is an opportunity that may not arise again. But make sure you're equipped before you set off."

"Thanks Tails," said Vector.  
"I appreciate it."

_Vector equipped himself with powerful explosives and set off for Robotropolis early the next morning. Shadow had already left the city in order to personally lead the attack against G.U.N. Vector zoomed to the outskirts of Robotropolis in Tails' Whirlwind S7 race car. He then hopped out of the vehicle and sneaked the rest of the way into the city. Tails' recon bot went in just ahead of him as Tails controlled it from back home._

"Shadow and all his clones have abandoned the city in pursuit of GUN," said Tails, over a communicator in Vector's ear.  
"There should only be automated minions guarding the city now, making it easier to get in and out. The gates of Babylon have been left open, as it were."

"Lucky for us," said Vector.  
"Where's my first target?"

"There should be a tunnel to your left, leading to the South Tower," Tails explained.  
"Watch out for the security mechaniloids mounted on the walls, as they periodically emit laser beams."

"Got it," said Vector, as he made his way to the South Tower.

"Go ahead and plant the first set of explosives, but don't detonate right away," said Tails.  
"We want to get as many set as we can before alerting the guards that we're here."

"Right, I remember," said vector.  
"Just the way we discussed last night."

_Vector reached the East and Central Towers in much the same way, planting explosives at each._

"Now complete the circuit by heading back down to the vehicle," said Tails.

"Maybe we should keep going," said Vector.  
"At this rate we may be able to take the whole city down."

"Let's not push it," said Tails.  
"Just come on back and — ......WAITAMINUTE!" he suddenly exclaimed.

"What's wrong?" asked Vector.

"There's two big sentinel units coming around each corner of the Central Tower," said Tails.  
"Hurry and climb the ladder! We can exit by way of the overpass."

_Vector quickly complied, heading up to the overpass._

"What now?" asked Vector.

_But before Tails could answer, a rooftop unit spotted Vector in its searchlight and sounded the alarm._

"INTRUDER ALERT!"

_A missile was launched from one of the towers and crashed into the overpass where Vector was._

Skreeeeeeeeeee-**BOOM**!!!

"Vector, no!!!" Tails yelled.

_Vector had jumped from the overpass in time to avoid the full force of the blast, and crash-landed on the ground below. He was unconscious._

"I need to send the S7 to retrieve him!" said Tails.  
"Need a distraction..."

_Tails' eyes shot to the extra detonator lying on his desk.  
He pushed the button..._

PING!  
_A high-pitched tone rang from the detonator and the receivers on all the active bombs._

ker-BOOOOOOOOOOMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!

_The bombs which had already been planted by Vector exploded at once._

_All available units in Robotropolis rushed to control the damage while Tails sent the Whirlwind to pick up Vector. After Vector was retrieved, the vehicle was sent back to the preprogramed location near Tails' base. Vector successfully arrived back in the forest and Bokkun was sent to bring him the rest of the way home. When they were reunited with Vector back in the underground base, he was still unconscious. In fact he remained that way for some time._

_Much later, at Tails' place..._

"Vector's not waking up," said Cream.  
"Is he going to be okay?"

"I think he may be in a coma," said Tails.  
"I never should've sent him in. There wasn't enough planning. It should've been me in there if only I were more mobile."

"At least we got the bad guys, right?" asked Cream.  
"This is what Vector wanted, you shouldn't blame yourself."

"This last-ditch act of revenge was certainly what Vector wanted, but I'm not sure if we'll ever truly 'get the bad guys' at this rate," said Tails.

"What do you mean?" asked cream.  
"Vector's mission was a success, wasn't it?"

"Relatively speaking," said Tails.  
"But there's no stopping Shadow himself, and his clone minions."

"What about the GUN army?" asked Cream.

"Shadow hit them with everything he had," said Tails.  
"I should have seen it before. Their underpreparedness and overconfidence led to the expected result."

"You mean they lost?!" Cream gasped.

"They were crushed under the force of Shadow's distorted sense of righteous indignation," said Tails.  
"He viewed them as the ultimate manifestation of the old world's evil. They never stood a chance..."

"No!" Cream cried.

"I don't know what happens next," said Tails.  
"All we can do is wait for the next convenient opportunity and hope that Vector wakes up. Or maybe reinforcements will arrive."

To Be Continued.

* * *

The world of Mobius is in need of a hero! Will the forces of good rise to meet the increasing threat posed by Shadow's evil empire?  
Or will a despondent Tails and his forlorn friends finally be wiped out entirely?

We shall see, next chapter...


	9. Chapter 9

**Be sure to check out my new Sonic oneshot, **_**Felidae Giganticus**_**, which was posted today.**

Sorry for the delay in updating Valley Of Shadows. On to the next chapter!

* * *

**Chapter 9**

_With the main branch of military defeated, Shadow was emboldened to occupy several major cities in the next couple of days. He released a satellite broadcast message stating his next intentions. Tails watched it from inside his underground base, which he now called home..._

"People of Mobius!" Shadow began.  
"Your military has been defeated, and your leaders subdued. I have crushed their corrupt, old system and built upon its ashes a new regime of justice. No longer shall your tolerance of wickedness go ignored. Neither will the terrorist attack on the capitol city Robotropolis go unpunished. Any confirmed sympathizers will meet with speedy punishment. An exhaustive investigation will be conducted throughout the land, and all enemies of the state shall be removed."

_Tails stared at his wall monitor in astonishment._

"He's on a rampage now," Tails concluded.  
"He's using our attack on Robotropolis to condone his fascist policies. We should have focused our efforts on supporting GUN, rather than dividing our resources. We may have missed our chance to stop him..."

_In the following weeks and months, most of the adult population was herded into concentration camps to be evaluated as potential security risks to Shadow's new regime. Citizens were arrested on flimsy charges or no charges at all. Police officers and other public officials were the primary targets. Vector remained in a coma through it all, and Tails continued to lay low, feeling overwhelmed with hopelessness and self-pity over the series of tragedies that had befallen he and his companions in such rapid succession._

_The life of isolation was beginning to wear heavily upon the small group of fugitives. Tails struggled through his own despair, eventually attempting to devise a new plan. Finally one day he came to his answer. He discussed his latest idea with Bokkun._

"The only way we'll ever defeat Shadow is to isolate his weakness," said Tails.  
"His fatal weakness no doubt lies in debilitating his greatest strength."

"You mean the Shadow clones?" asked Bokkun.

"Precisely," replied Tails.  
"I have been observing videos of Shadow and the clones in combat and wondered how he does it. How does he orchestrate the whole affair? If I could study one of the clones it might lead me to the source of their controller. This could be the key to their destruction."

"I don't get it," said Bokkun.

"What do you mean?" asked Tails.

"Just _how will_ funny looking fox boy in wheelchair get ahold of Shadow clone?" asked Bokkun.  
"Does not compute, dumbo."

"Hey! lay off!" said Tails.  
"I would think you'd have developed _**more**_ respect for me in all the months we've been together. Not **less**!"

"Sheesh! Should've worked for Shadow instead. At least he actually gets stuff done," Bokkun muttered under his breath.

"A hothead like you wouldn't appreciate careful planning and a calm, collected approach," said Tails.

"I didn't run away from Robotropolis just to stay cooped up with some **mangy** mutt all year!" snapped Bokkun.

_(Cream had always kept freshened-up and even Bokkun kept nice and polished, but Tails had grown rather unkempt during his time underground.)_

"Oh come on! So maybe I'm a little too busy with planning the liberation of the entire planet to keep up with proper grooming!" said Tails.  
"Gimme a break man! Besides, just look on the bright side. At least you get to be cooped up with Cream too."

"How did you –?!" Bokkun stammered.

_Cream entered the room at that moment and Bokkun started to blush a little bit._

"What are you two squabbling about?" asked Cream.

"Oh, nothing!" they both answered at once.

"We were just discussing my plans to defeat Shadow for good," said Tails.

"As usual..." said Bokkun.

"Well you may not have to," said Cream.  
"There's a gang of civilian freedom fighters plotting a revolt."

"Where is this information coming from?" asked Tails.  
"Have you been sneaking out?"

"No one wants to stay cooped up here forever," said Cream.  
"Nothing ever changes down here anyway. Besides, I had Cheese with me."

"Nevermind, just tell me more about what you heard," said Tails.

"I heard some other kids talking about it," began Cream.  
"They're all upset from losing their parents to Shadow. I know what that's like..."

"What are they up to?" asked Tails.

"They plan to storm Shadow's fortress and take their friends and relatives back who're still being held prisoner," said Cream.

"Ha!" Tails scoffed.  
"Buncha wet behind the ears amateurs scrapping together a ragtag party, going off to get themselves killed!"

"If they're such a ragtag party, then what do you call us?" asked Bokkun.

"There wasn't just little kids. There was lots of big kids there too," said Cream.

"I don't think even the "big kids" will scare off Shadow and his heartless army of vicious robot clones," said Tails, with a somewhat condescending smirk.  
"There's no need for these young upstarts to go rushing off into certain defeat when I've just devised a winning plan."

"They're starting the attack really soon," said Cream.

"I think I'd better go have a talk with them," said Tails.  
"Where are they meeting?"

"Near the old knothole tree," said Cream.

"Okay, that's not too far," said Tails.  
"I'm going to see that these kids don't do anything rash."

"Want me and Cheese to come with you?" asked Cream.  
"For extra protection?"

"No, you guys just keep an eye on the base for me," said Tails, with a smile.

_With that, he rolled on out of the base to the surface world above. He took a strange looking vine with him that was laced with explosives._

"The badniks haven't been treading through this particular area much lately, but if one of them does, I got something for them!" said Tails.

_Ironically, Tails' earlier spat with Bokkun actually rejuvenated his ego and determination. He was eager to reaffirm his self-worth as he boldly set off to take charge of this young band of rebels._

_He eventually made his way to a group of kids holding a rally near the knothole tree. One boy was standing on a stump, making a call for action._

"We're going to show Shadow that he doesn't rule us, and can't take away our families and friends and get away with it!" said the boy.

_The crowd cheered in response._

"We're gonna do what no one else has the guts to do. We're taking the fight to Shadow's doorstep at the fortress he built in these woods," he continued.

"No! You don't have to do this!" Tails interrupted.

"What?! Who are you?" the boy asked.

"I'm Miles Prower, also known as Tails," said Tails.

"He used to hang with Sonic!" someone from the crowd said.

"Right, and I can tell you that your attempt to overthrow Shadow is futile," said Tails.  
"I've got the whole situation under control, so you don't need to get involved."

"We're already involved!" said the head boy.  
"These are _our_ lives, and it's time we took control of them."

"You'll _lose_ those lives if you try to face Shadow," said Tails.  
"I've got a plan now so you'd be better off staying out of it."

"If you've got everything so under control, then why is the world in the shape it is now?" remarked another teen from the crowd.

"Do you expect us to just stand by and do nothing while our families are being held by this monster?" asked the head boy.

"You won't accomplish anything by rushing to your deaths," said Tails.  
"Just let me handle this in my own due time."

"You want us to leave the fate of the world in the hands of some brokedown, hasbeen hero?" a girl scoffed.

_Perhaps it was something in Tails' disheveled appearance, or the wild look in his eyes from being away from sunlight for so long that detracted from his overall credibility. But somehow his words weren't going over well with them._

"I'm the last hope you've got!" Tails snapped.

"We've survived without you all this time!" someone shouted.

"Where were you up until now?!" demanded a member of the crowd.

"I've been devising a carefully, well thought out plan of attack," said Tails.  
"Something which I doubt any of you have done. All I'm asking is that you give me a little more time to carry it out!"

"More time?! People are being executed in those death camps as we speak!" said the head boy.

"I realize that, but there's nothing any of you can do about it," said Tails.  
"That's just a calculated loss we're going to have to accept."

"Calculated loss?!" one of the other boys shouted angrily.  
"These are our families you're talking about you pompous *$#&/d!"

_The angry crowd started pressing in on Tails. He suddenly felt unsafe but didn't want to use explosives on civilians. That's when someone whacked him on the head from behind._

WHACK!

"Ah!" Tails yelped.

_He quickly motioned to roll away from the scene rather than fight._

"Don't let him get away! Pull his cripple butt outta that wheelchair!" someone roared from the crowd.

_They yanked Tails from his chair and drug him through the mud, to the center of the crowd. Then they all stood around him and kicked him hard and swiftly. Soon there were some people pelting him with stones._

"Ahh! Aaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!" Tails howled in pain.  
"Ya'll are some damned ungrateful little nigglets!"

_The mob started stomping Tails into the ground with all their might._

"Oh! Ooohhhhhh!!!!!" Tails hollered.  
"Please! Don't hurt me no more! Argh! Ahhhhh!!!"

_Tails got the whuppin of his life as the kids beat him half to death. That's when his rescuer unexpectedly showed up._

"Leave him alone!" Cream shouted.

_She hurled Cheese through the crowd, clearing a path towards Tails. Then she glided through and scooped the battered foxboy from the ground. She quickly grabbed ahold of Cheese and then flew away._

"Don't... don't hurt me no more," Tails gasped incoherently, as he lay cradled in Cream's arms.

"No one's going to hurt you now," Cream reassured him.

_They drifted through the skies together, all the way home._

To Be Continued.

* * *

AN: Okay, that wasn't a very good update. Or at least, not a very encouraging one. But the next chapter will be up much sooner! ;)

P.S. I decided not to name which specific Freedom Fighters took part in this event (clearly they don't have the same relationship with Tails in this story's reality). Indeed, I didn't definitively state whether or not these were THE Freedom Fighters or not, but you can use your imaginations.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

_As Cream landed at the site of Tails' old house, she looked over her shoulder and cautiously crept to the new secret entrance of their underground base, several feet away. She lifted the false grass covering of the titanium door and entered the passcode on the keypad._

_The door opened._

_Before Cream could carry Tails down to the base, she felt a hand settle on her shoulder._

"So _that's_ the trick to getting in!" said a familiar voice.

_Cream shot around to face the intruder, but saw no one!_

"Who's there?!" asked a frightened Cream.

_Suddenly the silhouette of a person started to form right before her eyes._

"Relax, it's only me," said Espio.

"Espio! You're here!" Cream exclaimed.

"And the other guy too," said Espio.

_That's when Charmy swooped down from a nearby tree where he'd been hiding._

"S'up?" he casually greeted.

"Quickly, come inside!" said Cream.

_They all entered the base and sealed the door shut behind them. Cream settled the barely conscious Tails into bed._

"We were a little concerned when Vector hadn't returned for so long," said Espio.  
"Then we started to hear about what had been going on down here on the mainland."

"We came looking for him around your place first, but it's a bad scene," said Charmy.  
"Then we came around here, but couldn't figure how to get in."

"What happened to Tails anyway?" asked Espio.  
"And where is Vector?"

_Cream filled them in on everything that had transpires since Vector's return to the mainland. Including her own mother's death._

"That's terrible," said Espio.

"Now I can see why this cause meant so much to Vector," said Charmy.  
"We're definitely in!"

"We won't let Shadow get away with these atrocities," Espio agreed.

_At that moment, Bokkun happened to entered the room._

"Whoa, look out! Bad guys in the base!" said Charmy.

"Stand back Cream, we'll handle this!" said Espio.

"Wait! I forgot to tell you, he's on our side now," Cream explained.

"Yikes! These really are desperate times," said Charmy.

"Humph!" said Bokkun, taking offense.

"Let's all work together," said Cream.  
"We need to help Tails and Vector get better."

"She's right," said Espio.  
"Our focus should be on working together to put a stop to this madness. Our best shot is to pool our resources with all of us pitching in."

_They all agreed._

Meanwhile, in Central City...

_The once bustling and lively hub of Station Square was now a mere shadow of its former self. The entire city was almost vacant, save for a few scared citizens in hiding and a gang of looters raiding the shops. This particular trio of ne'er-do-wells were retreating to the residential district, bound to stir up more trouble._

CRASH!

_A brick cracked through the window of a house. One of the thugs reached inside to open it up the rest of the way, and then proceeded inside to let the others in._

"The place looks empty. Might as well crash here for awhile," said the thug.

"Looks like a nice place," said one of the punks.

"Plenty of munchies, that's for sure," said the hooligan rifling through the cabinets.

"It's all ours now," said the thug.

"Dad? Mom?" came a voice from the basement.

"Guess I spoke too soon," said the thug.  
"The place isn't so empty after all."

_A blonde haired girl named Helen came rolling up in a wheelchair to investigate the noises in the kitchen. She gasped at the sight of the intruders._

"Well, well, what have we here?" the punk remarked.

"Not only munchies, but a little babe all dressed up real cute, just for us," said the hooligan, who had just been stuffing his face with Cheetos.

"You're not my parents!" Helen cried.

"No, but you can call me daddy," said the punk, now licking a switchblade.

"Eek!" Helen cried, as she frantically rolled backwards.

"What's your hurry?" asked the thug, as he blocked the doorway.  
"You don't gotta leave so soon baby. We can keep you company till your parent's get home — all three of us."

"Oh dear..." Helen whimpered.

_The depraved trio loomed over Helen, ravenously anticipating the evening's entertainment._

"Time for some fun, girly," said the punk.

_WHOOSH_

_Suddenly a black blur shot through the window and slammed into the rapscallions, knocking them all to the floor. After screeching to a halt, it was revealed to be Shadow (or possibly a Shadow clone)._

"Whoa! It's that crazy hedgehog guy!" said the hooligan.

"Look, we were leaving anyway, so just let us be on our way," said the thug.

"I don't think so," said Shadow.  
"Such gross disorderly conduct will not be tolerated under my regime. You must pay for your sinful disregard for justice."

_Shadow scooped them all up and flew them away from the house. Helen could hear their screams as they were carried off, and then there was silence. Finally Shadow returned and landed in front of her._

"Are you unharmed?" asked Shadow.

"Yes I'm fine, thanks to you," said Helen.

"It is not safe for you to remain here alone," said Shadow.

"I was waiting for my parents to return," explained Helen.  
"I haven't seen them for some time and I'm starting to worry. I don't know what's happened"

"A new governmental regime has recently been established across the globe," said Shadow.  
"I am the head of that new world government for the preservation of peace and the upholding of justice."

"Yes, but can you tell me what's happened to my parents then?" asked Helen.

"They were not a part of this new world order I have set in place," said Shadow.  
"All things must take place according to the greater good of assuring the success of this administration."

"What are you saying?" asked Helen.

"Your parents were bad people Helen. They had to be punished..." he explained.

"No! It can't be!" cried Helen.

_Helen started to weep intensely. Shadow rested a hand on her shoulder._

"Do not be sad Helen," he said.  
"If your parents can learn to be good, they may return to you. But for now, it is best you should go to the refugee camp, under my surveillance."

_There was something about her that struck Shadow. Something evocative of the past. Perhaps she reminded him of Maria. He was hesitant to part with her._

_Helen just continued to weep as Shadow led her away from the house._

Later, at Tails' place...

_Tails eventually recovered enough to be brought up to speed on everything that had occurred._

"Tails, you're awake," said Cream.

"Cream, you saved my life didn't you?" Tails recalled.  
"Thank you."

"I have wonderful news Tails!" said Cream.  
"We're saved! I didn't think it was possible, but reinforcements did arrive! You'll never guess who."

"Sonic? It must be Sonic!" Tails exclaimed.  
"I knew it! I knew he'd –"

"Um, not exactly," said Cream.  
"It's only Espio and Charmy."

_Espio and Charmy stepped into view._

"Oh..." Tails said, deflated.

"That was some intro," said Charmy, sarcastically.  
"Makes us feel real special."

"Sorry guys," said Tails.  
"I'm guess I'm still a little out of it."

"That's all right Tails," Espio reassured.  
"The point is we're here to help."

"So what's the plan chief?" asked Charmy.  
"We'll be your muscle from now on."

_Tails couldn't help but grin at Charmy's little injection of humor._

"You're right," said Tails.  
"I need to learn to rely on others more. Anyway, here's my plan."

_Tails reached over to the chest of drawers next to his bed and pulled out a map and a net._

"My plan centers on disabling the Shadow clones which make up the bulk of Shadow's military might," Tails explained.  
"If we can beat them, we can topple Shadow's whole regime."

"That's kind of a tall order," said Charmy.  
"Seems like there's a bunch of those ugly mugs skulking around every corner."

"We may only need to defeat just one," said Tails.  
"If I can study one of them up close, I'm sure I can find the key to destroying them all."

"It is wise to know one's enemy," Espio agreed.

"So how're we going to find just one without alerting all the others?" asked Charmy.

"Well I had another plan initially, but I think our "friends" in the amateur rebellion may have furnished us with an even better opportunity," said Tails.

"How do you mean?" asked Cream.

"Sometime tomorrow, Shadow will no doubt be sending a deployment of clones to deal with those little hotheads trying to breach his detention camp, here," Tails said, pointing to the map.  
"While he's busy killing them, we can make off with one of the Shadow clones unnoticed."

"That sounds more like it!" said Charmy.

"All we need to do is isolate one of the Shadows from the flock," said Tails.  
"I've prepared this disruptor-field net just for that purpose. We'll set it up as a snare on the path to the detention camp."

"A bit of cloak-and-dagger, subterfuge work, eh?" said Espio.  
"That should be right up my alley."

"Okay, you'll get into position tomorrow and wait for the situation to ignite," said Tails.

"Good plan!" Bokkun said with a big grin.  
"I guess I was wrong, you _can_ pull this off."

"With a little help from my friends," said Tails.

To Be Continued.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

The Next Day...

_Espio was already on his way to the mission site. Tails and company were all gathered around a monitor, viewing the area where the action would soon take place. Tails had sent a carefully hidden spybot ahead so they could keep an eye on Espio. Bokkun was strangely absent._

"Where did that Bokkun bot go to?" asked a suspicious Charmy.

"Now that you mention it, I haven't seen him in a while," said Cream.

"I don't like it," said Charmy.  
"I still don't trust that little rascal completely."

"He's really a nice little fellow when you get to know him," said Cream.

"Put your doubts aside for now," said Tails.  
"All that matters is the mission."

Meanwhile, at Never Lake:

_Shadow had erected a sort of memorial sanctuary in and around Never Lake. In contrast with the stark wilderness which once characterized the area, there was now a fully cultivated garden, a beautiful marble tower, and a fountain-statue of Maria in the middle of the lake. There was also a set of Chaos Emeralds stored in a heavily guarded display case of layered, bulletproof glass inside the tower, as well as an altar-like pedestal in front. At this moment, "Shadow" flew onto the scene with the seventh and final emerald to complete the set._

_As Shadow approached the emerald case to deposit the newly found gemstone, two other "Shadows" who had been standing guard stepped aside to let him through. Just as he was about to enter the secret code to open the case, Shadow paused for a moment._

"Come on out, Rouge." he announced.

_Sure enough, Rouge swooped down from her hiding place and joined Shadow next to the emerald case._

"You've become accustomed to my ways," said Rouge, with a smirk.  
"This is quite an impressive collection you've gathered here."

"These are the treasures of the empire," said Shadow.

"There's an empire I'd like to be a part of," Rouge joked.

_Shadow looked sternly serious._

"What is this social reform of yours all about anyway?" she inquired.

"I intend to build a world of justice, where good people like Maria may thrive," Shadow explained.

"I see you've employed the aid of some rather interesting helpers as of late," Rouge remarked.  
"You decided to revive the clone army."

"The work of managing a global empire is a heavy burden to bear," said Shadow.  
"I need men I can trust to assist in realizing the dreams of the empire."

"Men you can trust? I guess if you can't trust yourself, then who can you trust?" Rouge quipped.

_Shadow remained stonefaced._

"You seem even more tense than usual," she noted.

"The horrors of my past have shaped my actions of today," said Shadow.  
"I came to realize the necessity for change, and I have brought this change about through the strength of my own will. I cannot rest until it is fully realized, and so I continually watch over the world."

"It must get lonely at the top..." said Rouge.  
"Need any company up there?"

"Sorry, but I walk this path alone," said Shadow.

_They shared a gaze at one another for a moment._

"Besides, haven't you heard? I'm into human girls," said Shadow.

"Ah, was that a hint of humor?" Rouge teased.

"Hmph!" Shadow grunted with a restrained smirk.

"Do you at least need an imperial treasurer?" asked Rouge.  
"I'll take good care of your lovely emerald stash here," she said with a playful wink.

"It's no laughing matter Rouge," said Shadow.  
"This place is as sacrosanct as the very heart and purpose of the empire itself, inasmuch as these treasures are vital to the outworking of my primary objectives. This area must remain guarded from intruders and disturbances of any kind, and should not be tread upon by outsiders."

"So, am I in trouble?" asked Rouge.

"I believe you may appreciate the goal I am working towards," said Shadow.

"Just what have you got going on here?" asked Rouge, as she surveyed the sanctuary grounds.

"I built this place as a tribute to Maria," Shadow explained.  
"I put all of my fond memories of her into the very foundation, along with the hopes I had toward restoring her to me. It is now my hope once again to cross over time and space in an effort to reach her. It is to this end that I have gathered the Chaos Emeralds, so that I might infuse them with the power of the Master Emerald, thus fashioning them into Super Emeralds."

"Is that what this has all been about?" Rouge asked, rhetorically.  
"So you lost the Time Stones on your first attempt, and then you scoured the globe with your new robot scouts looking for the Chaos Emeralds to give you your second chance."

"I have already arranged for the Master Emerald to be at my disposal to complete the process," said Shadow.  
"With the superior energies of the Super Emeralds I will have enough strength to not only travel to a given time and place, but to also command the flow of time with precision and impose change according to my will."

"Will this really work?" asked Rouge.

"I have taken every possible measure to ensure success," said Shadow.  
"Last time I foolishly relied too heavily upon myself. This time will be different. There will be no interference from troublesome meddlers. There will be no resource left untapped. Nothing will be left to chance."

"What's next for you then?" asked Rouge.

"I need only wait for the Little Planet's return so that I may reclaim the Time Stones," said Shadow.  
"I just hope that Sonic didn't destroy them when he disrupted the time travel process before...  
If all goes well, Maria will be here with me, in this world I've made for her."

"You're dealing with some pretty heavy duty, paradoxical stuff here," said Rouge, with a raised eyebrow.  
"You wanted to build a paradise worthy of Maria, and then pull her from a different timeline to bring her to it?"

"All things are possible with right on your side and love in your heart," said Shadow.  
"Soon I will have all the power I require to make these dreams into reality. I believe I have at last acquired the final key."

"Well I wish you luck," said Rouge, as she turned to fly away.  
"I guess I'd better be on my way. Nothing to see here, for a mere jewel thief."

_Suddenly she paused in midair and looked back at Shadow._

"Incidentally, I heard that you captured all of the law enforcement officers," said Rouge.

"Don't worry, I have stayed her execution," said Shadow.

"Thank you, I appreciate that. Any chance for a full pardon and release?" she asked.

"Such a thing may not be possible for this new world," said Shadow.  
"I am in pursuit of perfection, and that goal must not be jeopardized in any measure."

"If you say so. But I have one word of caution before I go," she began.  
"Even as your pain from the past drives you to act, don't let it consume you. If you forsake compassion in the pursuit of your goals, it could overshadow the sentiments with which you first pursued them."

_Shadow suddenly had a flashback of his own warning to Robotnik under strikingly similar circumstances..._

_He and Rouge parted ways with somewhat of a mutual understanding, and Shadow returned to his base after depositing the final Chaos Emerald in its place._

Later...

_Upon his return to Robotropolis, Shadow began to ponder the validity of his current methods of bold power plays and zero tolerance governing. But it wasn't long before new disruptions jolted him out of his meditative state._

_Espio lay hidden atop a tree near Shadow's local outpost tower, in camouflage. As the boorish, juvenile militia stormed the front gates of the concentration camp not too far away, it wasn't long before Shadow deployed a team of clones to annihilate them. When the group of "Shadows" raced along the path to the camp in a birdlike formation (as Tails alluded to), Espio sprung the trap, catching one of them in the net from the rear of the formation._

"Gotcha!" Espio thought to himself.

_Energy pulsed through the net, rendering the mechanical clone completely inactive. The others raced on to address the emergency at the camp, leaving their inured ally behind. Espio dropped from the tree to collect the clone and drag it back to Tails' base. But before Espio could carry the darn thing away from the scene, he heard voices and was forced back into hiding._

"Did you hear noises?" asked a kooky sounding, robotic voice.

"Sounded like it came from over here," said a similar voice.

_Decoe and Bocoe entered the scene along with a hastily assembled, hodgepodge group of regular badniks._

"Shoot! There's too many of them," thought Espio.

"Looks like one of the "precious, perfect" Shadow droids got a little tangled up and went kaput," said Decoe, with sarcasm.

"I guess we'd better take care of it," said Bocoe.

"Why do we have to clean up behind these things anyway?" said Decoe.

"The boss'll get mad if we don't," said Bocoe.

"The boss is already pretty mad," said Decoe.  
"Been that way for some time now, if you hadn't noticed."

"Exactly my point," said Bocoe.  
"Besides, we can score a few points with him if we catch whoever's behind this."

"Good point," said Decoe.  
"Let's bring this broken Shadow unit back to the boss and have these other guys turn the place upside down till we find the one who did this."

"Don't waste your time, dumbots!" said a third robot voice.

"Huh? Bokkun!" said Decoe and Bocoe.

"We already caught the enemy, and Shadow sent me to pick up the malfunctioning unit personally," said Bokkun.

"What?! Trying to steal the spotlight from us?!" said Bocoe.

"I didn't even know you were still around," said Decoe.

"I'm in Shadow's inner, _inner_ circle," said Bokkun.  
"He sent me so neither of you bumbling morons will mess with one of his clone copies."

"Why you little-!" Decoe angrily sputtered.  
"Is that what he thinks of us!"

"We'll get even with you, twerp!" said Bocoe, as they both stormed off in a huff, along with their troop of badniks.

"He's taking the clone back to Shadow himself, so he can get back in his good graces again!" said Charmy, as he watched from Tails' monitor.

"No, it can't be!" said Cream.

"Don't be silly," said Tails, nonchalantly.

"Okay, all clear," said Bokkun.  
"Let's get this thing back to Tails."

"Right," said Espio.  
"That was pretty slick kid. Glad you decided to show up."

"See?" said Tails.

"Er... I guess I spoke too soon," said Charmy, feeling embarrassed.

_Espio and Bokkun quickly arrived back at Tails' base, with the Shadow bot._

"Excellent work you two," Tails commended them.

"I was wrong about you Bokkun," said Charmy.  
"You're all right."

"Put 'er there pal," said Bokkun, extending his hand.

_Charmy grasped his hand for a firm shake, but received quite a jolt of electricity upon doing so._

"Yow!" Charmy yelped.

"Ha haa!" laughed Bokkun, as he ran away.

"Come back here you!" said Charmy, as he chased Bokkun around the base.

_Everyone else couldn't help but share in Bokkun's laughter._

"Now all I need to do is take this guy apart," said Tails, eyeing the Shadow robot.

_Tails carefully dismantled the mecha Shadow. Soon there were body parts strewn about the floor of his workshop. Tails was most interested in the contents of the head. He ripped the "brains" out and tossed the empty head aside._

"Time to turn this guy on and see what he can do," said Tails.

"Is it dangerous?" asked Cream.  
"He's not going to hurt us, is he?"

"Nonsense!" said Tails.  
"Shadow is not some sort of god; so invincible that even a metal doll designed in his image could destroy us all so easily."

"I guess you're right," said Cream.  
"Bokkun and Mr. Espio have proven that."

"Besides, the thing is lying in a busted-up heap of scrap parts all over my floor!" said Tails.  
"There's nothing it can do. I'm just gonna analyze its software programs."

_Tails plugged a cord into the Shadow brains and plugged the other end into his computer. He began the analysis._

"As I suspected, the clones are only semi-autonomous," said Tails.  
"They operate on a set of preprogramed commands instructing them to mimic Shadow's actions in the field, so he doesn't have to control them directly."

"So these Shadow clones aren't the real deal," said Charmy.  
"They're just a bunch of swatbots designed to look like him. They can't even act on their own without playing follow the leader to him."

"That's only partially true," said Tails.  
"In any group of Shadows you're liable to come across, none of them is usually the real Shadow. He has the ability to directly control any one of the clones remotely from his base. So the lead Shadow of any given troop is likely being controlled by him."

"So he has the ability to move from body to body if need be..." said Espio.  
"He can truly be everywhere at once. Or at least, anywhere at any given time."

"Right. They all link back into the master controls located somewhere in Robotropolis," said Tails.  
"Each one is patched into his room of surveillance monitors."

"What?! Does that mean he can see in here through the one plugged into your computer?" asked Charmy.

"_Please_, this is **me** we're talking about," said Tails.  
"Obviously I foresaw that issue and have taken the necessary precautions."

"So you outsmarted Shadow then?" asked Charmy.  
"Are you saying your technology can actually block his? I hope you know what you're doing."

"Um, not that I'm trying to brag, but I did build a friggin' _SPACE-SHIP_ in my basement during spare time," said Tails.  
"You think anything Shadow built can infiltrate _my_ firewalls?"

"Understood," said Espio.  
"Don't mind Charmy, this young generation has no faith and speaks out of ignorance."

"Hey!" Charmy and Cream protested at once.

_Tails nodded in agreement with Espio, even though he wasn't much older than Charmy himself._

"Have you found a way to use the information you've gathered to our advantage?" asked Espio.

"I can hack into Shadow's main computer and shut his operation down from the inside," said Tails.  
"I'll send out a scrambling frequency to shut his duplicate cronies down for good."

"What about Shadow himself, and the remaining vestiges of Robotnik's contemptible city?" asked Espio.

"That's what I'll need you guys for," said Tails.  
"While I'm shutting the clones down, Charmy will take out the aerial untis mounted on rooftops and such. Then you will sneak in and, er... find the controls for Shdows construction units and... you may need to engage him, so..."

"I _**will**_ be going into this with a view to kill," said Espio, straightforwardly.

"Right," said Tails.  
"It probably violates some old school hero ethics. But oddly, I'm OK with that."

"What can I do?" asked Cream.

"It's gonna be a bad scene out there kid," said Espio.  
"This mission is no place for children. It may be best to leave it to us professionals."

"But Charmy is a kid!" Cream protested.

"Charmy has been well trained for these sorts of risks," said Espio.  
"He's no ordinary kid. He's seen it all."

"I've lived through terror every day, right along with Tails and the others," said Cream.  
"I've survived it all, and I want that villain to pay for what he did! I need to be a part of this..."

"She's right," said Tails.  
"Cream has lost more than any of us, and she deserves a chance to take her destiny into her own hands for a change."

"Think she can handle it?" asked Espio.

"She saved _my_ life," said Tails.

"Then it's decided," said Charmy.  
"Cream will be an honorary member of the team for this job. The Chaotix' very own femme fatale," he added with a wink.

"Very well, you'll help Charmy disable the aerial units and radar detectors," said Tails.  
"Remember Cream, the main thing you want to look out for is –"

"SHADOW!" Cream, Charmy, and Espio all said at once.

"Well yes, of course him," said Tails.  
"But I was thinking more of –"

"No, not on the mission! Right behind you!" said Espio.

"Huh?"  
_Tails spun around in his chair and saw the shadow of, well... Shadow looming in from the next room._

"What the-?!" Tails sputtered.

"Whooooo! I am the great and mighty Shadow, come to conquer all of you meddlesome peons!" came a voice from the next room.

_Suddenly the black figure rushed into the room and jumped onto Tails' table._

"I am Shadow! **Fear** me!"

"Doesn't this Shadow clone look a bit odd?" asked Charmy.

"Yeah, I'll say." said Espio.

_Charmy zipped up and snatched the head off the Shadow clone, revealing Bokkun underneath._

"Wha? Bokkun! Get down from there boy!" demanded Tails.

"Gotcha for a sec there," said Bokkun, laughing.

"You and your silly games," said Cream, rolling her eyes.

"Actually it might not be such a bad idea," said Tails.

"Huh? Whaddya mean?" asked Charmy.

"If he wants to be Shadow, then let him," said Tails.  
"I can easily modify Bokkun with the spare Shadow parts so he'll look almost exactly like him. There's no reason why he should drag his feet on this mission. We can have him scout ahead for us and open a few doors."

"Uh oh," said Bokkun.

"You'll all leave for Robotropolis tomorrow then," said Tails.  
"Get some rest for now."

"You'll have time to do your weird meditation thing Espio," said Charmy.

"There's nothing weird about reflecting on the past, considering the present, and pondering the future," said Espio.  
"Especially when taking a major step in life, like maybe a death defying mission to save the planet."

"What I want to know is, how did I get drug into this?" asked Bokkun.  
"I want no part of Shadow's Robotropolis; even going into it."

"But you can still be my big, brave hero and help us all out, right?" asked Cream.

"Well, I uh..." Bokkun stammered.

_Then Cream planted a kiss on his cheek._

SMOOCH

_Somehow, the little robot turned bright red in response, and he fluttered to the ground like a feather._

"Ahhhh..." Bokkun sighed with delight.

"How is he gettin' all the sugar?" Charmy protested.  
"The guy's nothing more than a tin can. A robot!"

"You bees don't need sugar. You got honey," said Espio.

_Charmy just gave him a look._

"Well I thought it's what Vector would say," said Espio.

_They all had a good chuckle and then retired for the night._

To Be Continued.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

The next morning...  
**The Showdown**

_The gang was all set and ready to go. Tails had deployed a few reconnaissance bots and Bokkun was even equipped in full Shadow regalia. Charmy and Cream wore belts with some of Tails' bombs in them. Tails had a few words with the troops before their departure._

"I want to give you all one last thing before you go," said Tails.

_He rolled around and handed them all little earpieces._

"This is so I can discreetly communicate with you on this covert operation of ours," said Tails.

"Wow, my own spy gadgets!" said Cream.  
"What's my codename for the comm system?"

"Cream The Rabbit," Tails flatly replied.

"But that's my real name," said Cream.

"Of course, if Shadow even knows you exist he already knows everything about you anyway," said Tails.  
"Besides, **no name** is welcome in Robotropolis. So I hope you're taking this whole thing serious girl, 'cause it's life or death out there."

"Right," said Cream, seriously.  
"Understood sir."

"Okay, we'll do this like we discussed," said Tails.  
"Bokkun will go in first, incognito, with Espio trailing closely behind, in camouflage. I'll set off my disruptor as they near the city, and Charmy and Cream will fly in to cover them."

_They proceeded as planned, with Bokkun waltzing through the city as a Shadow clone and Espio invisibly sneaking behind him as he entered restricted areas._

"Good going Bokkun! We'll keep up this facade as long as we can," said Tails.

_The stealthy duo strutted right into the Central Tower unnoticed, and they spotted Decoe and Bocoe playing cards in one of the interior rooms. Bocoe's eyes darted up as he saw Bokkun approach._

"Is that the boss?!" asked Bocoe, in a panic.

"No, it's just one of his dummy clones," said Decoe.

_Bokkun kept walking pass them._

"Well as I was saying, it really ticks me off that Bokkun—of all robots—has special privileges with the boss," said Bocoe.

_This caught Bokkun's attention and he paused in his place._

"I wonder how the little kiss-up pulled it off?" asked Bocoe.  
"I'm surprised Shadow could tolerate a little hotheaded twit like him, or vice versa for that matter."

"I still say the little bolts-for-brains was just bluffing," said Decoe.  
"I mean we never see him around the boss or anything, and I was pretty sure he left the city. But of course we can't prove anything or make any inquiries without implicating ourselves in whatever he was up to."

"I can't imagine much he would be good for, especially to a leader like Shadow," said Bocoe.

_Bokkun didn't want to fully blow his cover but he was getting tired of their trash talk and he started to turn around and face them. He slowly raised his hand up and..._

"Don't flip them off Bokkun!" Tails yelled over the communicator.

_Bokkun hesitantly withdrew his hand without bearing his middle finger. He shrugged innocently._

"Don't pretend you weren't going to, because I know how you are," said Tails.  
"I almost can't blame you, but it'll tip them off for sure and jeopardize the whole mission."

_Bokkun begrudgingly turned back around and went along his way. Soon they reached Shadow's inner chamber. Shadow was at the controls of his multimedia surveillance and command station. He turned around as he noticed someone entering the room._

"Hm? What's a stray S-series unit doing here?" he wondered.

_Espio withdrew a shuriken as quietly as possible and aimed it at Shadow._

Swish!  
_He threw it right at Shadow with all his might._

"Ahrgh!" Shadow grunted, as he barely dodged a fatal blow, escaping with a minor cut.

_Shadow shot a Chaos Spear in the direction of the projectile._

"Darnit!" said Espio, as he leapt out of the way.

"We have an intruder!" yelled Shadow.  
"All S-series on hand, seize and destroy!"

_The room flooded with Shadow clones._

"Now might be a good time!" said Espio.

"I'm on it!" said Tails, as he transmitted the scrambling pulse through all the S-units.

_All the Shadow clones all around the world collapsed. Even Bokkun pretended to be fried out._

"What's happening?!" Shadow roared.

"Espio's cover is blown!" said Tails.  
"The clones have been disabled. Charmy and Cream, move in for backup!"

_Charmy and Cream fired off chaff grenades to mask their entrance and then rushed into the city. They bombed various aerial units and quickly made their way to the Central Tower._

"I know you're there, chameleon! I can see you!" said Shadow.

_Shadow fired a series of blasts at Espio, sending him running across the walls of the room. Shadow gave chase but was tripped up by Bokkun upon crossing his path._

"What in the-?!" gasped Shadow.  
"Ah!"

Crash!  
_He hit the floor and Espio immediately jumped onto his back._

"I've got you now!" said Espio.

_Espio clasped his hands around Shadow's head and neck, preparing to snap it. But Shadow teleported away just in time._

"Slippery thing!" said Espio.

_Finally Shadow dashed into Espio at top speed and pinned him to the ground. He blasted Bokkun to keep him from further interference. He had the drops on Espio._

"You won't escape from here alive," threatened Shadow.

_He bound Espio with Chaos Control and started strangling him._

WHAM!  
_Suddenly Shadow fell to the floor. He was hit over the head with Amy's Piko Piko Hammer. But Amy wasn't on the other end of it — it was Cream!_

"That was for Mommy!" said Cream.

_Cream had just fallen from a ceiling vent and slammed into Shadow with full force. He was badly injured but still barely conscious._

"Whew! Good timing kid," said Espio, rubbing his neck.

"So you would oppose my goal of righteous law and order on this planet?" asked Shadow, weakly.

"You killed my mother!" said Cream.  
"I want so badly to finish you off, but I don't want to stoop to your level."

WHAM!  
WHAM!  
WHAM!  
_Cream finished bashing Shadow's head in until he died._

"What about stooping to his level?" remarked Espio.

"So I just won't clone myself," said Cream.

"Works for me," Espio smirked.

_Charmy buzzed into the room._

"What's up guys? Who needs help?!" he asked.

"Oh sure. Show up when all the action is over," joked Espio.

_All of a sudden, electricity started sparking from Shadow's body, and smoke rose from his joints._

"What the heck?!" asked Charmy.  
"I thought you guys defeated Shadow, but it's just another robot!"

"It can't be!" said Espio.

"I thought all the clones were shut down," said Cream.

"It looks like this particular doppelgänger must have been some type of special model that wasn't hooked in with the other units," said Tails.

"That means the real Shadow is still somewhere on the loose!" said Charmy.

"Curse him!" Espio shouted.

"Don't let your guard down," said Tails.  
"We need to keep searching for Shadow throughout the city. Let's make another sweep through the area and stamp out any other trouble you see along the way."

_The four of them went through Robotropolis defeating badniks, shutting down assembly lines, ending production of new robots, and nabbing Decoe and Bocoe. In all their searching, Shadow was nowhere to be found._

_Over the next few days they all continued work on dissolving Shadow's whole operation in Robotropolis. Once the city was rendered harmless, they headed home, clueless as to his whereabouts._

_An unsteady peace was restored, but everyone was still on edge with worry, waiting for their worse fears to be realized. Shadow was still out there, somewhere. Waiting to make his final strike..._

The End?  
**Hardly**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

_The New Robotropolis Empire was neutralized and the reigns of Shadow's facilities and war machines now rested safely in the hands of Miles "Tails" Prower and company. The gang convened together back at Tails' place to discuss these latest occurrences and plot their next moves:_

"I'm not sure where Shadow is hiding or what he's planning," Tails began.  
"But right now our focus needs to be on dismantling Shadow's regional outposts and making sure all the prisoners are freed from his detention camps."

"_Almost_ all the prisoners," said Espio.

"You're right," agreed Tails.  
"Some of them could be dangerous criminals. We need a cautious and controlled effort in releasing the prisoners, so we don't bring about more chaos than order."

"And if Shadow shows up again, we'll need to be ready for him," said Charmy.

"So keep on the lookout," said Tails.  
"As you know, I'll be monitoring things from here but there's a lot to be done right now and I can't have eyes everywhere. At least until I find a way to safely manipulate the Shadow clones to my advantage."

"Using a bunch of reappropriated Shadow clones to keep tabs on people is probably not the best public relations move right now," said Espio.

"No kidding," Tails agreed.  
"I guess we'll have to squash that plan for now."

"That reminds me, I wanted to ask you something Bokkun," said Charmy.  
"Now that Shadow has pretty much been ousted from Robotropolis and he's no longer in power, what're you going to do now?"

"Dr. Robotnik's Robotropolis is gone," said Bokkun.  
"I'll move on and find some other way of putting my services to good use."

"If you're looking for a worthy cause, we could always use some more help," said Cream.

"She's right, there's still a lot more work to do before this planet is back together again," said Tails.  
"On a more upbeat note, I have some very happy news to announce."

"We could use some of that right about now," said Espio.

"Vector awoke from his coma while you guys were making runs in Robotropolis," said Tails.

"That's great news!" said Charmy.

"Yay!" Cream cheered., as she happily tossed Cheese into the air and caught him.

"That's great to hear," said Espio.

"What're we waiting for? Let's go see him!" said Charmy.

"He's still weak and needs some rest," said Tails.  
"He's just now getting back onto solid food."

"Sheesh! The guy sleeps for several months straight, and he's still resting?" Charmy protested.

"We can check back in on his condition later," said Espio.  
"I'm sure there's plenty of work we can do to bide our time here on the mainland."

_Espio's words proved true. Over the following weeks, Tails and company facilitated the transition of the world back to a state of stability. They helped the people of Mobius get back on their feet again, although it would take much longer for society to fully recover, if it ever did. Public officials such as police officers and politicians were in short supply, so the process was slow and difficult. Tails was forced to appoint himself as interim-Governor over all of Mobius. He even had to employ a few of Shadow's established systems and facilities in order to control the population. Many of Tails' policies were unpopular with the people, but he didn't want to throw away the fragile peace he had sacrificed so much to attain._

_Tails carefully poured over all of the prisoner's records, releasing them one at a time according to his discretion. Some argued that Shadow's sketchy arrest papers were unfairly biased against them. He was a madman after all. But Tails assured everyone that their issues would be fairly addressed in due time._

"Okay prisoner B-1224-02, you're up!" announced Charmy.

_The man who used to be the President's Aide rose as he was released from a detention camp._

"It's about damn time," he griped.

"I'm sorry, but we're overloaded and understaffed here," said Tails.  
"I'm having enough trouble just monitoring the world for signs of new activity from Shadow."

"That's why I'll be handling things from here on," said the aide.  
"The President was, of course, already executed by Shadow. I'm probably the most competent member of his staff still living, and these people need a real leader."

"I appreciate your support, but I can't exactly hand over the reigns of command just like that, especially in the middle of such a crisis," said Tails.

"You're obviously not qualified to handle a task of this magnitude," said the aide.  
"You need to leave this to the professionals."

"I think I'm more than qualified!" Tails insisted.  
"If you're not going to help me with this process, then I ask that you kindly get out of my way!"

"Who put you in charge anyway, foxboy?!" the aide demanded.

"I'm a civilian who stepped up and confronted the badguy, while you suits stood helplessly on the sidelines!" said Tails.

_The aide huffed in reply. He looked taken aback and at a loss for words._

"Yeah that's right! I'm _**Miles Prower**_, b—! And I'm sick of taking crap 'offa whiny little, do-nothing, pencil pushers like you trying to talk down to me!" said Tails.  
"I don't care if you want to revive your pathetic little political career some other time. But for right now, you'd best get up out my face before I throw your sorry a** back in that prison cell!"

_The aide angrily stormed off._

"I think you may be too overstressed," said Espio.  
"It might have been wiser to speak with that fellow in a more diplomatic fashion. He may have been a jerk, but we could really use his organizational skills to get a lot of this work done."

"I know you're right, but what can I do?" asked Tails.  
"There aren't many trustworthy candidates willing to assist me, and this is a lot of people to move around."

"I say we terminate some of these organics in the detention camps, just like we did to the extra robots in Robotropolis," said Bokkun.

"I wish I could Bokkun," Tails sighed.

_The going was hard but things eventually calmed down. Families that were split up between Detention Camps and Refugee Camps were gradually reunited. One day while Tails was finishing up his session of physical therapy, he received an unexpected visitor._

"There's someone here to see you," said Charmy.  
"Seems like you have a mutual friend."

"Ah, very good. Please show them in," said Tails, as he grabbed his cane for support.  
"Could you give me a hand into my chair, Cream?"

_Cream eased Tails into his wheelchair and pushed him out to meet his guest._

"Hello Mr. Prower, I'm glad you had a free moment to speak with me," said the fortyish human man.

"Douglas! Good to see you again," said Tails.  
"No need for such formalities. As I recall, you're Helen's father. How is the family doing?"

"Not too well I'm afraid," said Douglas.  
"We haven't been able to find Helen."

"I'm very sorry to hear that," said Tails.  
"I assume you've already checked at the refugee camp, and of course at home."

"There were signs of a break-in at the house, but no evidence that Helen was harmed," Douglas explained.  
"There was even a record of her making it to the refugee camp, and some witnesses report that she had been brought there by Shadow himself; or at least a clone. But she was withdrawn from the camp unexpectedly."

"Was she sick or something? I can't imagine why she would be taken out of the camp," said Tails.

"There was no reason given, as far as we know," said Douglas.  
"Seems like it was a very spur of the moment type of thing. She didn't spend very much time there at all, before being taken away. It all happened just a day or two before Shadow's defeat."

"If Shadow was planning to hold her hostage, I haven't heard anything about it," said Tails.

"Are you saying that maniac is still at large?" asked Douglas.

"It's true, we never found the real Shadow," said Tails.  
"But I don't think Shadow would harm a young girl, especially one so closely resembling..."

"What is it?" asked Douglas.

"Well, it's nothing. I just think it's more likely that Shadow actually helped Helen escape the home burglary, rather than for him to do any harm to her," said Tails.  
"But I assure you that we will continue pursuing Shadow with all our resources now that the relocation work is basically complete. If we find Shadow, we'll find the answers about Helen."

"Thank you Tails," said Douglas.  
"I'll keep looking myself, of course. But here's my number in case you should find anything."

_With that, Douglas left to continue his search._

"I hate to quash your optimism, but the relocation process is far from over," said a voice from behind Tails.

_Tails and Cream spun around to face the speaker._

"Vector! I see you're up," said Tails, cheerfully.

_Vector had been responding well to his own rehabilitation therapy over the past few days. He had regained much of his strength._

"Yeah, I'm getting there," said Vector.  
"But more importantly, I've been noticing a lot of protesters complaining about some of your decisions."

"I'm starting to see that Shadow was right about these people, to a certain extent," said Tails.

"How do you mean?" asked Cream.

"They've done nothing but fight me every step of the way," said Tails.  
"From the band of rebels trying to fight against Shadow, to the folks who don't like my prisoner release policies. Sometimes it seems like Mobians need to be dominated and controlled with power after all."

"You may not want to say those words when you address the protesters," Vector chuckled, nervously.

"You don't want them putting another butt whupping on you like the one you got before," said Charmy, just coming in on the conversation.

"Very nice Charmy, thanks for reminding me," said Tails, sarcastically.

"I'm just saying..." Charmy replied, under his breath.

"We'll hold a press conference to satiate this stiff-necked people a little while longer," said Tails.  
"But this time will be different."

"Shall we begin the preparations right away?" asked Espio.

"You guys go ahead and get things set up," said Tails.  
"All the props are in my workshop. I'm gonna rest up a bit before the main event."

"Do you need anything else?" asked Cream.

"Now that you mention it, I could use a "fix"," said Tails.

_Cream opened a small case, took a cigar out, and handed it to Tails._

"What?! Tails smokes?!" Vector exclaimed.

"Actually this is my last vice to help me get through this tough time," said Tails.

_Tails clipped off the end of the cigar and some candy fell out of it._

"Oh, it's a candy dispenser," Vector sighed in relief.  
"So you haven't started puffing your life away yet."

"No way! Sonic taught me better than that," Tails chuckled.  
"Anyway, I think I'll visit the memorial grove out back for a while... to reflect."

"I'll go with you," said Cream.

"Thanks, my arms a bit too tired to roll around by myself," said Tails.

_Tails set his cane in his lap as Cream wheeled him away. Little did any of them know, they were being observed and discussed by two other individuals, hiding off in the distance..._

"Look at him rolling around with a gold-tipped cane and a cute little cigar-girl, like he a big ol' pimp," the first person laughed.

"Yeah, this kid thinks he's el Presidente or something," the other person scoffed.  
"I say it's about time someone took him down a peg."

"That's cool with me, as long as the price is right," said the first person.

"Let's wait until this little press conference of his," said the other.

"Hey, whatever-whatever, but I gots to see some money upfront," said the first.

"You'll get your money, said the other," as they both walked away.

...To Be Concluded.

* * *

Social unrest, secret conspirators, and Shadow still at large! Will Tails and the gang make it through these hard times unscathed? Or will the combined threats detonate one another, dooming the entire planet?

Next up: **The Finale**.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

_The arrangements were made for Tails' "press" conference. There was a sound system set in place, and a big placard featuring Tails' image behind an outdoor stage. Various protest groups were informed and everyone gathered together to have their grievances addressed by Tails. Even Rouge was in the audience to observe. Tails was still not on the stage and the people grew restless._

"Where is Tails?! You'd think he could at least show up on time!" someone grumbled.

_At that moment, a hole opened up in the bottom of the stage and a platform rose up from it. There was an effigy of Tails standing on the platform! The real Tails now spoke from an undisclosed location as his words were broadcast through the sound system._

"People of Mobius! I am not able to meet with you in person today, but I wish to address your concerns and assure you that I will continue to work for the social welfare," said Tails.

"Where is the real Tails?" asked a person from the crowd.

"Does he think he's too good to meet with the likes of us?" scoffed an angry Mobian.

"I assure you that I am the real Miles Prower," said Tails.  
"I have arranged for us to convene in this format so that I might continue to work for the public good in the most efficient way possible."

"He hides in the shadows and sends out duplicates of himself, just like the hedgehog!" a protester snapped.

"Let's hear him out before rushing to judgement!" said a supporter.

"Thank you. I can assure everyone that this administration has been opposed to Shadow's ways from the beginning," said Tails.  
"We are the very heroes who overthrew that hated villain!"

"We just want to know why so many prisoners are still being detained!" someone said.

"We're dealing with the entire criminal population of Mobius that was crammed together with ordinary citizens," said Tails.

"Aren't there still prisoners being held with no criminal records?" asked a reporter.

"Many of the current detainees have been deemed as possible threats, even among those with no past convictions," Tails admitted.  
"However, just because an individual has never been convicted of a crime does not mean they aren't dangerous. As brutal and heavy handed as Shadow's regime was, he did apprehend a lot of criminals who evaded the previous justice system."

"How can you decide that someone deserves to be detained even though they've been acquitted in the past?" asked a protester.

"A variety of factors are taken into consideration," said Tails.  
"For example, many of the more volatile prisoners were held in maximum security sectors of Shadow's prisons."

"A lot of those prisoners were arrested as high-threat offenders for actions they committed during the desperate times of Shadow's regime!" said a protester.  
"The _times_ made them do those things!"

"As long as I am Governor over Mobius I will have to be the final judge of that," said Tails.

"You won't be Governor for long if we have any say in it!" snapped a protester.

"I never intended to remain Governor indefinitely," said Tails.  
"When social stability has been adequately restored, elections will be held in an organized and secure manner."

"So the prisoners will be held until _**you**_ say so, and the election will be postponed until _**you**_ say so!" a man remarked.

"Someone has to take the lead in the decision making process, and I currently hold the power of Shadow's old facilities and implements," said Tails.  
"You'll just have to trust me for now. I was competent enough to defeat Shadow and now I'm doing the best I can to use his resources for the benefit of everyone."

"Isn't it true that Shadow has still **not** been apprehended?" asked a reporter.

"I cannot confirm or deny that information at this time," said Tails.

_There were gasps of shock all throughout the audience._

"That fiend is still on the loose, and you're worried about the alleged threat of innocent Mobians you still have locked up?!" screamed a protester.

"We're doing everything we can to confirm the status of Shadow and ensure the safety of Mobius," Tails assured them.

_Rouge tired of observing and came forward to speak to Tails herself._

"Enough of these games, little man. I want to know what is the status of officer Topaz?" she asked.

"That prisoner is currently under evaluation," said Tails.

"You have to evaluate Topaz?!" Rouge scoffed.

"There were some prior "excessive force" complaints on her badge," said Tails.

"You've gotta be kidding me!" said Rouge.

"Governor Prower will not be taking any more questions at this time," Espio announced over the loudspeaker.

"What?! How dare that little twerp!" said Rouge.

_Rouge flew towards the Tails effigy on the stage and knocked its head off with a spinning kick.  
_WHAP!

_Some other members of the crowd joined in tearing the poster of Tails down and burning it along with the effigy, but most of them just dispersed and went about their business._

Meanwhile, at Tails' base:

"That could have gone better, but i think I got through to some of them," said Tails.

"Rouge seemed pretty upset," said Vector.

"Yeah, she's mad about you locking her girlfriend up," said Charmy.  
"Why'd you do that anyway?"

"It's true that she's been accused of excessive force," said Tails.

"I wouldn't mind her bringing some of that excessive force my way," said Charmy.

"You're saying you don't think I did the right thing?" asked Tails.

"I think what Charmy means is that we have to pick our battles wisely and avoid alienating potential allies unnecessarily," said Espio.

"I guess I just get tired of people disregarding me and taking me for granted," said Tails.  
"It seems like I'm always the trusty sidekick or the tech guy who's there to provide a needed service without ever being truly appreciated. I wanted people to respect me."

"Some of the greatest heroes are the unsung heroes," said Vector.  
"They're the ones who do what's right even when they don't get any fanfare for it. And for what's it's worth, I'd say you're the greatest of 'em all."

"I'll second that," said Espio.

"Here here!" said Charmy.

"Thanks guys," said Tails.  
"I guess the only thing to do now is track Shadow down."

"And keep an eye on Rouge while we're at it," said Vector.

"I call that job!" said Charmy.  
"I can keep watch on the prison where we're holding Topaz. I betcha she'll strike there!"

"If it means that much to her, maybe I'll just turn her loose," said Tails.  
"In fact, I think we'd better go down there and seriously reevaluate those prison records. Give the place a complete policy overhaul. It's obviously a major concern of the people."

"All right then, let's go," said Vector.

"So much for my stakeout," said Charmy.

_Tails and the Chaotix set out for Detention Center 212. They put their heads together trying to brainstorm ideas along the way:_

"Where do you suppose Shadow is hiding out anyway? And why has he been so quiet?" asked Vector.

"That's what worries me," said Tails.  
"I've gone through the database of all his outposts and facilities and he wasn't found at any of them."

"Perhaps there was a secret facility not listed in the database," said Espio.

"Then it could be anywhere!" said Tails.  
"How do we narrow it down in a situation like that? Any ideas, detectives?"

"If it's a secret facility then it must have a secret function," said Espio.  
"We just have to figure out what sort of secret activities Shadow would be interested in, and what type of location would be conducive to carrying them out."

"Did the guy have any vices?" asked Vector.

"Other than landscape demolition, collateral damage, imprisonment and execution without trial, and general world domination?" asked Tails.

"You forgot obsessing over blonde haired girls," added Charmy.

"Somehow I don't think that's quite the clue we're looking for," Vector chuckled.  
"I see your point Tails, we're gonna need something else to go on."

"I wonder if Rouge would know?" Tails pondered.  
"Well we're almost at the prison now. Maybe we can get Topaz to find out for us."

"Um... You actually think she'll go out of her way to help us, after all this?" asked Charmy.

"Yeah right, maybe if we ask real nice," Vector joked.

POW!  
_Shots suddenly rang out from the distance!_

"Whoa! That's gunfire!" Vector exclaimed.

POW! POW!

"Ah! I'm hit!" Tails cried, as he clasped his shoulder.

_They all ducked to the ground and crawled for cover. Espio vanished through camouflage and went in pursuit of their assailant._

"The shots came from over here..." he thought to himself.

_Espio spotted the lowlife trying to make a run for it, so he immediately pounced on him._

"You're not getting away that easily!" said Espio.  
"Guys! I got him!" he called out to his companions.

_The others made their way over to face the attacker._

"Nack the Weasel?!" Tails exclaimed.

"Yeah, what of it?" Nack spat.

"What of it?! You just **shot** me!!!" Tails screamed.

"Oh yeah. Nothing personal," said Nack.

"Who put you up to this?!" demanded Vector.  
"Was it Rouge?"

"That trifling ho?! Ain't nobody working for the likes of her!" scoffed Nack.  
"Besides, that girl already owe me money."

"Then who?!" repeated Vector.

"Some scruffy looking suit," said Nack.  
"He ain't gimme no name."

"That presidential aide guy!" said Tails.

"Okay, let's search the area just in case there's any more goons around, and then we'll head to the prison," said Vector.  
"I think we got ourselves a new occupant for Topaz's cell."

Meanwhile, in Topaz's cell...

_Topaz was still sulking about being restricted to the confines of a detention center when there was so much going on in the outside world, that she had no control over._

"This is ridiculous! I should be out there apprehending criminals and helping to restore order. Not locked up in a prison cell on some bogus charge."

"Quiet down in there, prisoner!" the guard yelled (the guard just happened to be Bokkun).

"I just want to do my job!" Topaz insisted.  
"The villain has been overthrown, right? So when will I be let out of here?!"

"No more insubordination!" said Bokkun.

_He pulled out a long range, electric stun gun and zapped it at Topaz.  
_Bzzzzzzz!

"Hey!" she yelped, while dodging the shot.  
"Watch where you point that thing, _robot!_"

"Was that a racial slur, _human?!_" Bokkun snapped.

"I don't understand why one of Robotnik's lackeys is guarding this facility anyway," said Topaz.  
"Shouldn't you be with your buddy, Shadow?"

"Why you-!" Bokkun fumed.

Bzzzzzap! Zzzzap!  
_He zapped her a few more times._

"Ah!" she yelled, with a jolt.

"That'll teach you," said Bokkun.

_He left to finish making his rounds through the prison. Topaz just sunk into a corner of her cell and heaved a heavy sigh._

_She didn't mope for long though. The ceiling panel suddenly started to rattle and then came crashing to the floor! Rouge stuck her head through the hole and hung upside down from the ceiling._

"Rouge! What're you doing here?!" asked a startled Topaz.

"I'm bustin' you out girl! What's it look like?!" Rouge replied.

"Are you crazy?! I can't leave like this!" said Topaz.

"What are you talking about? I cleared the path," said Rouge.

"No, that's not what I meant. I'm telling you that I can't leave this cell. It's unlawful," said Topaz.

"_Who's_ law?!" Rouge exclaimed.  
"You want to rot in here just to be playing by the book of some made-up rule?"

"I'd like to get out of here, _believe me_," said Topaz.  
"But if I break out by force, it only goes to prove all of the doubts and suspicions surrounding me. Plus I'd be undermining the already fragile order of things. I'm sorry but I can't leave now. Not like this."

"Suit yourself, but I say the kid is nuts," said Rouge.  
"Just hand me that ceiling panel so I can put it back in place."

_Just as Topaz was lifting the panel up to Rouge, Tails and the Chaotix were coming down the corridor to bring Nack to his new cell. They spotted Rouge just before she was able to slip away._

"There! Up on the ceiling!" yelled Charmy.

"It's Rouge!" Espio exclaimed.

_Topaz spun around in surprise and Rouge uttered a curse under her breath._

"I knew it, I knew it!" Charmy shouted, gleefully.

"Sorry, but I can't stick around," said Rouge.  
"Be seeing you boys later."

"Wait Rouge!" said Tails.  
"It's okay because... I've decided to let your officer Topaz go."

"Really?" asked Topaz, with a big smile.

"This isn't just a trap to distract me long enough for you to nab us both?" asked Rouge.  
"What made you decide to let her go all of a sudden?"

"We just... found a higher profile prisoner and we need the cell space," Tails lied.

"High profile? Where?" asked Rouge, looking around.

"We got him right here," said Vector, pointing to Nack.  
"This guy is guilty of high treason and he's a coconspirator in a plot to overthrow the government."

"You mean that no-'count, two-bit thug Nack the weasel?!" Rouge laughed.

"Hey! I'm really moving up in the world of organized crime," Nack protested.

"Haa, ha haa!" Rouge laughed hysterically.

"What's so funny?!" Nack demanded.

"If there was a conspiracy going on, I guarantee you this fool didn't know he was in it!" said Rouge.  
"Why don't you just admit that the real rason you're letting Topaz go is because you were wrong in the first place?"

"It's okay Rouge, it doesn't matter now," said Topaz.

"Still, that _was_ a pretty lame excuse about needing extra cell space," said Charmy.

"Anyway Rouge, there was one thing I wanted to ask of you before you go," said Tails.

"Oh? And what might that be?" Rouge asked impatiently, hands on hips and foot tapping.

"Uh, nevermind," said Tails, nervously.  
"It's probably nothing anyway..."

"What's with you Tails? Why don't you just say what's on your mind?" asked Vector.

"The Tails we know is more assertive than that," said Espio.  
"We wanted you to be diplomatic, not –"

"– a wimp!" Charmy interjected.

"Okay, I just wanted to ask if you have any idea where Shadow might be," said Tails.  
"We're still looking for him as you know, but he hasn't turned up at any of his known bases."

"Is it really necessary to hunt him down after all this?" asked Rouge.  
"He's already lost the war, so maybe he just needs a little time to sort himself out."

"It's very important that we find him," said Tails.  
"Someone's life could be at stake."

"If you know something, you should tell them," said Topaz.

"Alright, alright," Rouge relented.  
"I don't know exactly where he is right now, but I remember he had some special place built over by Never Lake."

"Of course! Why didn't I think of it before?" Tails declared.  
"Today is the day of Little Planet's return!"

"Little Planet?" asked Charmy.  
"You mean the place with the Time Stone thingies?"

"He could be planning another time trip!" said Tails.

"Let's check it out," said Vector.

_Tails, Topaz, and the Chaotix headed for Never Lake. Rouge tagged along to see what would happen._

Meanwhile, at the Never Lake Memorial Tower...

_Shadow had been biding his time here at his secret tower, waiting for what might be his last chance to bring his plans to full fruition. He now entered the inner chamber of the tower, where a young girl awaited._

"Why have you brought me here?" she asked.

"It's all right. Do not be afraid Maria," said Shadow.

"My name is Helen!" said Helen.  
"You've got the wrong person. I'm not Maria!"

"No... you're not," said Shadow, solemnly.

_Suddenly Helen gasped and fell to the floor. Shadow had rendered her unconscious with a binding, Chaos maneuver._

"Don't worry Maria, we'll be together soon," said Shadow.

_He picked Helen up and carried her outside, placing her on the altar-like pedestal near the fountain._

"I wasn't able to save Maria before, as if fate bound me from interceding," said Shadow.  
"But if the interdimensional scales of balance demand a soul to be sacrificed, then I will abide it. A suitable match must be provided for everything to happen as it must, leading up to this very moment."

_Shadow activated a control switch on the pedestal, which initiated a syphon he had connected to the Master Emerald. Energy was transmitted into the Chaos Emeralds, infusing them with power to become Super Emeralds. As the power flowed through his body, he raised his hands to the air and summoned the power of the Time Stones, detecting and drawing them to himself with the force of the Super Emeralds._

"Shadow! What're you doing?!" a voice called from behind him.

_He recognized it to be Tails, and sensed that the others were with him._

"I will not hesitate to destroy you, and believe me when I tell you that I wield more than ample strength to do so," warned Shadow.

Sssssssswoosh...  
KABOOM!

_With a thunderous clash, a giant wall of energy swooped down in front of Tails and company, ripping a huge chasm in the ground. The energy continuously radiated in that range as an impassable field. There was no way anyone could get through to Shadow._

"Just tell me, what does Helen have to do with this?!" asked Tails.

"A soul for a soul. The girl will take Maria's place, and Maria will be transported here rather than me traveling back to save her. It's the only way," said Shadow.

"Maria will never forgive you for this!" said Tails.

"You'll be implicating her in the deliberate sacrifice of an innocent girl!" said Topaz.

"They're right Shadow!" said Rouge.  
"Can Maria ever be happy knowing what you've done to bring her here? What kind of life is that?"

"No! The end justifies the means," said Shadow.  
"Fate has dealt a cruel hand and I am merely turning it to my favor."

"This isn't you Shadow, and it's not like Maria either," said Rouge.  
"She wouldn't want this, and I think you know that in your heart."

_Shadow's resolve faltered under the weight of their condemnations. Temporal energies roared through the atmosphere, emblazoned by the power of the Super Emeralds which flowed through him. In a moment of indecision, Shadow lost control of the monstrous powers he had awakened..._

"No! Maria! I... I'm sorry..." he gasped.  
"!"

_Shadow was rent asunder by the gale of primordial forces rushing through him, and his matter was scattered across all dimensions and timelines._

"Shadow!" Rouge cried.

"He's gone..." Tails uttered in shock.

_Everyone was stunned at the earth shattering spectacle they had just witnessed. However, the storm quickly died down upon Shadow's disintegration and Helen was left over, safely. She awoke from the sleep Shadow had imposed on her._

"What happened? Where am I?" she asked.

"You're safe now," said Topaz, rushing to her side.

"In the end he just couldn't do it," said Tails.  
"But it cost him his life."

"A fitting penance, perhaps," said Espio.

"I knew that he was never truly evil," said Rouge.

"Even after everything that happened?" asked Vector.

"Maybe he was just stuck in a moment that he couldn't get out of..." Rouge said, mostly to herself.

_Helen was soon returned to her family in Topaz's care. Rouge went off somewhere to be by herself, and the others returned to Tails' base. Bokkun and Cream were there too. They were all reflecting on the dramatic events that led them to where they are now, as well as the bittersweet conclusion._

"...so based on various pieces of evidence combined with my own eyewitness observation of Shadow's demise, I suspect that something similar may have happened to Sonic," said Tails.

"So he really is gone..." said Vector.

"We've certainly lost a lot of good friends during this struggle," said Tails.  
"Sonic, Vanilla, Amy... even Eggman," he added, nodding towards Bokkun.

"It's really a shame about Amy," said Charmy.  
"She was actually a pretty sweet looking chick."

_Everyone in the room looked up and stared at Charmy in surprise._

"All I'm saying is, I'd have been happy to take her mind off Sonic if I had been around," said Charmy.  
"If it's lovin' she wanted, all she had to do was gimme a call, know what I mean?"

"_Oh Charmy_," Espio winced as he shook his head in disapproval.

_Everyone else in the room gave similar clicks and groans of reproof._

"What, too soon?" asked Charmy.

"Too tasteless," said Espio.

"Not cool man," said Vector.

"Hey hey hey, it's OK!" Charmy insisted.  
"Amy would've wanted us to remember her with cheer and good humor."

"No she wouldn't!" said Tails.  
"Amy was melodramatic and self centered. She wouldn't want us joking about her, she'd want us weeping and wailing and saying how sorry we were for screwing up and failing her."

"In that case, who cares what she would think anyway?" said Charmy.

"I guess he's right," said Vector.

"Ha, ha, ha!"  
_They all shared a hearty laugh._

"But seriously though, Amy may have been a bit of a nut sometimes, but she was _our_ nut," said Tails.  
"The gang won't be the same without her."

_Everyone in the room had to agree that it was true._

"I even miss being bossed around by her... just a little," Tails chuckled.

"Well it has been a long hard road to this victory, but the villain has been vanquished," said Espio.  
"Now we can go home."

"Sounds good to me," said Charmy.  
"I can't wait to see the look on Knuckles' face when he realizes Shadow was only using him! He's already gotta know something is up, but I want to give him the full details, personally."

"Okay, I guess we'll be on our way," said Vector.  
"Tails, I'm sure you can handle the rest, with Shadow gone."

"I'll be fine with Cream, Cheese, and Bokkun," said Tails.

"Great, we'll send you our bill for services rendered later," said Vector.

"Huh?" Tails asked.

"Just kidding!" said Vector, with a wink.

"You're all leaving?" asked Cream.

"Yeah, but if you ever need anything, just call on your old uncle Vector," said Vector, patting her on the head.

"Goodbye mister Ve-...... _**uncle**_ Vector," said Cream.  
"And thank you."

~-~

And so, the Chaotix parted ways with them and returned to Angel Island. Knuckles grudgingly admitted his presumptuous error, but he still liked having the surveillance and security system and continued to keep a tight reign on the happenings of his island.

Back down on Mobius, society rapidly stabilized after Shadow's defeat. Tails facilitated elections for public office and stepped down as Grand Governor of all Mobius, although he still maintained a prominent presence on the world scene. There were many benefits in Tails relinquishing his power. He was able to focus on his physical therapy with the help of Cream, and eventually he was able to walk again. Over time he even regained his flight ability.

Likewise, the world itself also gradually healed over time, and together the peoples of Mobius ascended from the Valley Of Shadows.

The End

* * *

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